Trust My Instincts
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: What happens when Ela's oldest discovers a secret her parents have kept from them for years? And what happens when she goes to Oz? And what happens when she and Yero have to retrieve her? Who would they run into? And will they be able to get her back?
1. Chapter 1

**Trust My Instincts**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Summary: What happens when Ela's oldest discovers a secret her parents have kept from them to years? And what happens when she goes to Oz? And what happens when she and Yero have to retrieve her? Who would they run into? And will they be able to get her back? Set seven years after KMG ends.**

**Question: Glinda left? I hope she comes back... Will she? Eventually? No? Yes?**

**Answer: You'll see.....**

**Question: Do their kids know their parents are from Oz?**

**Answer: No........not yet....**

**Question: It's over? Sequel maybe?**

**Answer: Read and see....**

**Question: Is it over? Is that IT?**

**Answer: Like I said, read and see....**

**Question: Is it really over? Will there be a sequel?**

**Answer: Here it is.....**

"Get up! Get up!"

Silence.

"LANEY! GET UP!"

Delaney Kim Tipton sat up with a jerk, her moss green eyes snapping open, her long, black hair falling out of it's plait.

"Wh---wha----" She looked around, before her eyes landed on two thirteen-year-olds, one standing in the doorway, the other at the foot of her bed. Groaning, the teen tumbled back among the pillows, covering her face with her hands. "Ari, Spence, is there a _reason_ why you're waking me up at seven a.m?"

Ari- who's full name was Aria Emily- rolled her eyes, and turned to look at her twin brother, Spencer. He tossed his sandy hair from his eyes and shrugged, before turning and heading downstairs. When he was gone, Ari turned back to Delaney, before sitting on the girl's platform bed. Aria had a daybed, preferring to use a bed that didn't take up so much space, while her sister and parents preferred the stable, matress only, platform beds. Silent, Aria looked around the room, her eyes landing on the Bertoia wire lounge chair in the corner. The chair had one of her sister's sweaters tossed over it, and on closer inspection, Ari realized that it was her mother's sweater.

Her sister had the loft bedroom in their family's three floor apartment in Sunset Park, residental island: Brooklyn. Their parents had moved to Sunset Park two years after the twins were born, when thier parents announced during a dinner at their Aunt Dee's that they were having another baby. They'd found a nice three story apartment in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, not long after the announcement, leaving thier cozy little apartment in Chelsea. Not that their apartment wasn't cozy; Ela and Yero had made the three story apartment home for the last few years. Their parents both worked on Broadway, and seemed to live relatively normal lives, they had a loving marriage, and four beautiful children.

Their little world was perfect, and it just got better over time.

Laney had decorated her room in green and black, and then put up posters, paintings and other works of art around the room. Laney was one of those 'artistic types'. She loved modern and contemporary artists, much like her parents did. She loved the modernism of the early 20th century, the way things were starting to take on a blocky shape, the way art work popped; Ela herself, found the art of the modern era much more free than the art of eras before, or even since.

Piet Mondrian, Pablo Piacasso, Jackson Pollock, Salvador Dali, Simon Hantai, Paul Jenkins, Samia Halaby, Takashi Murakami, Ernesto Neto, and Andy Warhol were some of the artists that had caught not only Laney's eye, but also Ela's. Now, Ari's eyes swept over the print of Andy Warhol's 1980 piece, _Diamond Dust Shoes, The Rose_ print by Salvador Dali, several different copies of Samia Halaby's art work, including a print of her painting _Fire, 1975_. She then looked down at the cherry, white, and espresso bedspread on her sister's bed. The pattern looked like on her mother's Piet Mondrian _Composition _paintings. The colors contrasted oddly with the color of the walls, but Laney liked the fact that her bed and her walls didn't match. Now, Ari's eyes roamed to the girl sprawled in the pillows, still in her pajamas.

Delaney, Ari's sister, looked exactly like her mother, with long, ebony hair, soft, pink lips, and pearl skin- except for her eyes. She didn't possess her mother's dark chocolate eyes, nor her father's deep sapphire ones. Instead, Delaney's eyes were moss green. She was a talented actress, dancer, and singer, and loved photography. When she wasn't doing anything with the theater, she was taking photographs.

"Don't you want to get up, Laney?"

The Laney in question raised her head, glared at her baby sister, and then pulled one of her pillows over her head.

"Mo."

"What?"

Laney lifted the pillow off her head, and looked at her sister, who had moved to the front of the bed, and now leaned over her.

"I said, no!"

"Come on Laney, you can't hate your birthday. You're turning sixteen."

"I can, and I do. Now leave me alone."

Groaning, Ari got off the bed, and went to the door.

"You're just like Mama! And Selky."

Skyler, or "Selky" as Ari and Spencer called her, was Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs's only daughter, and a close friend of Ela and Yero's. She was close to Laney particularly, having babysat the girl when she was a teenager. Now, Sky was a movie director in Hollywood. She and her husband, Kevin Jacks, a dancer and choreographer on Broadway- whom she'd known since college- divided their time between Beverly Hills and Manhattan. Their first child had been born a year after their marriage, and their second child, a girl, was born two years later.

"I am not like Mama." Laney said, sitting up and staring at her sister.

"_Yes you are_! Mama _hates _her birthday! You _know_ she does! She _hates_ celebrating it, she _hates _being reminded of it, she _hates_ having the fuss being made over her! You're just like her!"

"And so are you!"

"I _like_ my birthday!"

"Well that's great for you, Ari! But I don't!"

"You're so stubborn!"

At this, Laney climbed out of bed and marched towards her sister. She gave the younger girl a good shove out of her room, and slammed the door. The next sound that was heard, was Ari storming down the spiral staircase, to the second floor. Her shout rang through the entire apartment.

"Mama! Laney's being a bitch!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chpater 2. **

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: I have an audition at seven tonight, so I'm going to try to get the first two-three chapters up before I go! Enjoy!**

**Thanks to Elphaba1Fan for reviewing 1.**

A knock sounded.

Laney had crawled back under the covers, and now ignored the knock. She _knew_ who was on the other side of the door. It was the same person who was _always_ on the other side of the door, _whenever_ anything went wrong. The person Ari always went running too.

Mama.

Finally, the door opened, and her mother slipped inside.

"Laney? You all right, baby?"

_"Just go away. Please."_

Instead of doing as asked, her mother moved to the bed, and sat down on the edge, reaching out and gently taking the covers off her daughter's head. Laney's moss green eyes met her mother's, and her long black hair tumbled out of her plait. The teen lay on her side, looking up at her mother. Giving a soft sigh, her mother reached down and gently brushed strands off her cheeks, watching her child.

"What's wrong, baby girl?"

Silence.

"You can tell me, you know? You can always tell me."

"What about Daddy?"

Her mother stopped, thinking a moment. Her rose lips thinned into a line, and she looked around, before landing on her wedding ring. She fiddled with the gold band, before speaking.

"You can.....tell Daddy also. But you know what he'll do."

"Jump to conclusions." The two said at the same time, before sharing a soft laugh. Laney sat up, her braid coming over her shoulder, and she hugged her knees to her chest. A small smile came to her face as her mother rubbed her back.

"Mama?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you hate your birthday?"

"Sometimes. It's just a hassle more than anything. And I don't like Daddy making a big fuss over me."

"Daddy always makes a big fuss over you, Mama. He loves you." Laney whispered.

"I know. And I love him. But.....when I was a kid, I never celebrated my birthday. My mother had died after my sister was born, and my father didn't love me as much as my sister, so my birthday usually went unnoticed. And so I never got used to celebrating my birthday until I met your Daddy."

"You were abused? Mama why didn't you tell me?" Laney asked, raising her head.

"I.....don't like to talk about my past. And you don't need to know about it. It's not your past, it's mine. And when I grew up, I promised to never abuse my children. And I haven't. And I never will."

Laney moved over, allowing her mother to settle next to her. Once the two were settled, Laney snuggled into her mother's arms, and allowed her to kiss her hair. They stayed like that for several moments, before her mother pulled away and got up.

"Come on, baby, let's head downstairs."

"No Mama, they're just gonna-"

"They won't. I made Daddy promise not to mention your birthday." Laney looked at the hand her mother held out to her, before accepting. Then, she let her mother lead her downstairs to the first floor and into the kitchen.

* * *

"All right, here she is. Here's the birthday girl."

The others looked up, to see Ela enter, Laney behind her. They'd set the table, with a small pile of packages at Laney's place, and when she came around her mother, she noticed several extra place settings at the table. Four, to be exact.

"Mama, why are there for extra places at the table?"

"Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye are here, sweetheart."

"I know, but... there are four extra--"

"Don't worry about those, baby, just sit down and enjoy yourself. After all, it's your sixteenth." Ela said, gently pushing her daughter to her chair. Then, she sat next to her.

"Mama, you said you wouldn't---" She stopped, feeling a pair of hands come over her eyes.

Everyone fell silent, as Laney reached up, feeling the fingers of the person. Her fingertips brushed against a ring- a wedding ring, perhaps. When she'd run her fingers over both hands, she removed them, and turned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Elphaba1Fan, Elphiethegood, and ghostly bender for reviewing 2. And to Satan's Spawn12, lizziemagic, for reviewing 1.**

"Sky Sky!"

Laney quickly got up and threw her arms around the young woman standing behind her. She buried her face in the woman's shoulder length brown hair, breathed in her scent.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too."

When the two finally pulled apart, Laney got a good look at her friend.

The last time she'd seen Sky, she'd been ten, and Sky had just gotten married, three weeks after graduating from NYU. Since then, Sky and Kevin had moved to Hollywood, she'd started her own independent film company, and they made constant trips back and forth between California and New York. She'd had their son, Michael, a year after their marriage, and two years later, their daughter Rachel, had been born. Now, Sky was back in New York, visiting her family and friends.

Sky was a beautiful mulotto, with hair as thick and brown as her mother's, and eyes as dark as her father's. She had gotten exceptionally close to Ela and Yero over the years, and doted on Laney like a little sister. Laney, for her part, had a hard time accepting that Sky was married with a family of her own.

"What are you doing here?"

"We came up to visit, and Mom told us it was your birthday, so we decided to stop by to wish you a happy birthday. You're two, right Lanes?" Sky joked. Laney rolled her eyes.

"No. I'm sixteen."

"Sixteen!" Sky looked around quickly, before reaching up to check her pulse. "Well, I must have died. Because last time I saw you, you were only about ten. What happened?"

Laney laughed, as Sky proceeded to check her temperature, laying the back of her hand on the girl's forehead.

"You got married and moved to California." Laney said, reaching out and wrapping her arms around Sky's neck again.

"That's right, now I remember." Sky said, holding Laney close. The teen buried her face in Sky's chest, reveling in the fact that her friend was here.

When they finally pulled apart, and sat down to eat, Ela handed Laney a slightly flat, square box.

"Oh Mama!"

"Every young girl needs a string of pearls." Her mother told her, as her daughter climbed out of her chair and hugged her and then her father. The phone rang, as they continued breakfast, which Ela got up to answer.

"Hello? Yes, this is she......Oh, hey Desi. Yes. It's Laney's birthday. Wanna tell her hello? All right, let me get her for you." She covered the mouth piece with her hand and turned to the dining room table. "Laney, it's Desi. She wants to talk to you." Silent, Laney climbed from her chair and took the phone.

"Hello? Oh hey Desi! Yeah. Ahh, well thank you. Uh huh....."

Elphaba sat down next to her husband, and returned to her breakfast.

"Desi?" He asked; she nodded.

Desi, was one of their costars on Broadway. She was in Ashland this week, visiting her parents, and called to wish Laney a happy birthday. She'd known Laney since before she was born, and was exceedingly close to the girl. The conversation lasted for a few more minutes, before she hung up and returned to the table.

"So what did Desi say?" Idina asked.

"She wished me happy birthday, and told me that she'd give me my gift when she got back next week."

"That's nice, sweet pea." Yero said, as they finished eating, and Laney went back to opening her gifts.

"Oh my god. Thank you Auntie Dee! Thank you Uncle Taye!" They'd gotten her a Juicy Contoure Classic Daydreamer tote in black. Everyone knew that Laney loved tote bags, and so this was the best gift they could get her. They also added a wallet, and a 'Glitzy Shoe' key chain. Laney was the type of girl who loved designer things, and was always stealing her mother's clothes. When Laney had finally sat down, her brothers and sister set their packages in front of her.

"Go on Lane." Spencer said. Slowly, Laney opened the package, revealing a Classic President colored wool fedora, like the one Ela wore alot.

"Spence, how did you--"

"Saved up and got it for you."

"Thank you." She said, as her brother came over and gave her a hug.

"Welcome. I know how much you like them."

"I love it." Laney said, kissing his cheek. He rolled his eyes and accepted it. Then, she put it on. "How do I look?"

"Now you can give me mine back." Ela said, getting up and going into the kitchen, pouring herself another cup of tea.

"Oh Mama."

"I hightly doubt she takes your clothes, Ela." Dee said.

"Oh it's true. She borrows my clothes and _never gives them back_."

"Ela--"

"Check her closet. Most of the clothes hanging in her closet are mine." Ela said, as Dee brought her plate and laid it in the sink.

"Don't mind them, just finish opening your presents, Laney." Yero said, rubbing his daughter's hair as he passed into the kitchen.

She did, opening Ari's next. The younger girl had given her sister a small box, which held various necklaces and bracelets. One was a Jessica Elliot Zodiac Pendant Necklace, her sign being Gemini, the twins. As well as a pair of Betsey Johnson Linear Taxi earrings and the necklace like her mother's, a Kate Spade 'color cafe' cube charm bracelet, faux multi colored pearl ring, like the one her mother wore, several 'idiom' enamel bangles also by Kate Spade, several headbands, a scarf, and a pair of sunglasses.

"Everything a girl could want, right?" Ari asked.

"Thank you, Ari." Laney said, hugging her sister. When she pulled away, Jason came up to his sister. He was ten, and the spitting image of his father.

"Here Laney. I hope you like it."

"I'll love it, Jas. I promise." She said, unwrapping the gift. Inside, was a Hand Crafted Gold Embossed Genuine Leather Mail Box with Moire Lining from Barnes and Noble.

"Oh Jas. I love it." She had always loved that Mail Box, and had saved up for it, only to learn that someone else had bought it. Now, she knew who that someone else was. Slowly, she looked up at her baby brother, tears in her eyes. "Jas--"

"Open it Laney." Slowly, she did.

Inside, were four different necklaces, a ring necklace with charms, a Punk Gypsy Layer necklace with charms, a Charmed Locket necklace, and a Silver-tone and black feather necklace, all from Guess, on Sale and discounted.

"Oh Jas. You.....you didn't have to...."

"I know. I wanted to. You're my sister." He whispered, hugging her.

When Jason pulled away, Ela placed a set of packages in front of her daughter. Slowly, she started opening the first one. Inside, was a tam, a scarf, and a pair of gloves.

"Oh Mama--"

"Open the others." Laney did as told, revealing a new winter coat, to replace the one that had gotten ripped to shreds the winter before, when-during one of the girls' arguements- Ari had taken her sister's coat and stuffed it into the garbage disposal and turned it on. The girls' arguing had brought their parents from the second floor, to see the remains of Laney's coat sticking out of the disposal.

Finally, she came to the last one, opening the box, revealing an angel wing necklace. Her green eyes met her mother's and she got up, throwing her arms around her parents.

"Oh thank you, Mama! Thank you, Daddy! I love you!"

Ela took the necklace from her daughter and clasped it around her neck.

"Angel wings?" Laney asked.

"So you can _defy gravity_, my sweet."

Her arms went around her mother's neck, and she buried her face in her mother's dark hair.

"I love you, Mama."

"I love you too, Delaney. Happy birthday."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4. **

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

Later that night, Ela stood in the doorway to Laney's room, watching her daughter sleep.

She felt the warmth of her husband's presence near, followed by his arms around her waist, and she turned her head, meeting his eyes.

"She's beautiful, isn't she Yero?"

He nodded, then kissed her shoulder, before leading her to their room.

"Can you believe that our baby girl turned sixteen today?" Yero asked, as he turned down the blankets. Ela nodded, as she took her blouse off, her back to her husband. "I mean, I remember the night she was born. She was so beautiful."

"Mhmm."

"Even when she was still slick with amionic fluid, she was absolutely gorgeous. She's our baby girl. Our first born. And...when I cut the cord, and then watched Dr. Hanson clean and weigh her, and then wrap her in a blanket and lay her in your arms, I.....I never felt like more like I had a purpose in life than that moment. Watching you with our newborn. And she looked so much like you, from her nose to her little fingers and those ten, tiny little toes."

"Mhmm."

"And then she looked at us with those gorgeous mossy eyes and.....we both fell in love. And then we watched her grow up. From....an infant to a toddler. And from a toddler to a little girl. And now.....now she's a teenager. And she's grown to be more and more like you every day." He said, going over and wrapping his wife in his arms.

"Mhmm."

"Are you all right love?" He whispered, turning Ela around in his arms. She'd changed into her nightgown by now, and reached up, fiddling with his pajama top.

"I just.....I've lost my baby." She cried, burying her face in his chest. He held her close, stroking her hair, before he moved them to the bed, and lay next to her.

"You didn't lose her, darling."

"Yes I did. She's not my baby girl anymore." Silent, he wiped the tears off her cheeks.

"She'll always be our baby. I promise."

"Do you, Yero?"

He pulled her close, and kissed her forehead.

"I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: When is she going to Oz?**

**Answer: Not for a while....**

**Thanks to lizziemagic and Elphaba1Fan for reviewing 4.**

The next morning, Laney came downstairs, to see her mother standing at the kitchen counter, sipping a cup of tea.

"Morning love."

A giggle.

"Morning. Did you sleep well, my darling?"

"Very well. The question is....did you sleep well, Mrs. Tipton?"

"Mmm.......yes. Once I _actually got_ to sleep." Silence, Laney could only imagine what they were doing. Taking a deep breath, she came around the corner, to see her parents locked in a passionate embrace. Quietly, she moved up to them, leaning against the counter, watching. Finally, feeling someone's presence near, Yero pulled away from his wife. "Yero, what--?"

"Laney, sweetheart." Ela's head turned.

"Laney? Sweetheart. Did you sleep well?"

Her daughter nodded, giggling softly. She knew how in love her parents were- had been since college. They'd dated for years, until her father proposed, and months later, they were married. Nine months afterwards, Laney had been born. For the next few years, their love grew. Their friends on Broadway said that it showed with each child they had; first Laney, and then Spencer and Aria, and finally Jason.

"Yeah, very well, thanks Mama." Ela nodded, as Yero pulled away and poured his daughter a cup of tea. The three sipped their tea in silence, before Jason came down.

"Morning Mama, morning Daddy."

"Morning Jason." His parents said in unison. He then went to Laney, and wrapped her in a hug.

"Morning Laney." The teen smiled, hugging her brother.

"Morning Jas."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Laney looked up at the knock on her door.

"Come in."

Ela slipped into her daughter's room, dressed in a pair of jean, a pretty dark green and black lace Catherine Malandrino Washington Square Top, heels, and a tan back bustle riding jacket. She wore her classic president wool fedora, her long black hair in waves down her back.

"Hey baby girl."

"Mama? Is.....is that....my...."

Ela chuckled, going over to her daughter's desk and picking up the hat that sat on the edge.

"_This _is yours." She said, planting it firmly on her daughter's head. "_This_ is mine." She tugged on her own fedora, before joining her daughter on her bed. "Now that you have your own clothes, can I have mine back?"

Laney sat up, and closed the copy of Vogue she was looking at.

"Mama?"

"Hm?"

"What are you doing up here?" Ela sighed, and walked her fingers up her daughter's arm, before tickling underneath her chin. Laney's giggle rang through the room, and she collapsed in her mother's arms, her head on her mother's chest. Ela lay against the pillows, as she held her daughter in her arms.

"You've grown up so much."

"Mhmm." Laney whispered, snuggling close.

She buried her face in her mother's chest, breathing in the scent she knew so well; peaches and cinnamon. Her mother's hair always smelled of peaches, and Ela was almost always using cinnamon when she baked. It settled in her clothes, soaked into her hair, and rested on her skin. She left the scent of cinnamon and peaches when she sat on the sofa with her family, passed through the halls or up the stairs, the sheets of their bed were a mix of cinnamon, peaches, stage makeup, and mint.

The stage makeup and mint was her father's scent. Laney loved snuggling into her father's arms, the smell of stage makeup from the performances he and his wife did strong on his clothes. She loved breathing in the scent that wafted from her father's clothes, when he and his wife met the kids outside the stage door after performance. It was those times when she could still smell the heat of the stage lights, the makeup, the coffee, the costumes on her parents' clothing.

"What are you doing?" Laney looked up, meeting her mother's eyes.

"Smelling."

"Smelling what?" Ela asked, pulling away.

"You." A slender, perfect eybrow raised.

"Me? What, do I stink, cause I took a shower today."

"No. Peaches."

"Peaches?"

"You smell like peaches. And cinnamon. I love that smell."

Ela nodded, as her daughter snuggled closer. She kissed Laney's hair, and held her child close. Finally, Ela pulled away.

"Come on."

She pulled Laney to her feet, and led her to the door, then down the spiral stairs.

"Where are we going, Mama?"

"Sky and Kevin have a surprise for you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: Do the kids know anything about their parents being from Oz? Or do they think the whole story is made up?**

**Answer: No. The kids _don't even know_ the story, because Ela and Yero haven't told them. All the kids know is that their parents met in college, fell in love, started dating, then their father proposed to their mother while they were working on the _Wicked_ revival together. They know that they became friends with Dee and Taye not long after the two moved to New York, and helped their parents get on their feet. They have _no idea_ that their parents are from Oz, so they don't know the story, because their parents haven't told them the story. _Yet........_**

**Thanks to lizziemagic, Satan's Spawn12, Elphaba1Fan, and ghostly bender for reviewing 5.**

When Ela and Laney made it into the living room, they saw Sky and Kevin sitting on the sofa, talking with Yero.

"All right, here's the birthday girl." Ela announced.

"Mama, my birthday was yesterday."

"I know. But Sky and Kevin's gift couldn't get here until today."

Laney looked up at her mother, and then turned to her friends. Sky held a box on her lap. When Laney sat next to her, Sky handed the young girl the present. It was a box that held clothes, and slowly, Laney undid the wrapping paper. She removed the lid, and shifted the tissue paper, revealing a beautiful dress.

Made of raspberry colored satin, it was a Calvin Klein Pleated Bodice dress, that would look gorgeous with Laney's long black hair and mossy eyes.

"Oh Sky Sky. Thank you." Laney whispered, getting up and throwing her arms around first Skyler, and then Kevin.

"You're welcome, Lanes. We figured that you'd need something for the Tonys, after all, they're coming up very soon. That dress, with a pair of Ela's black--"

"_Not my pumps_. We can get her _her own_ black pumps, Sky." Ela said, plopping into her chair across from her friends. Sky looked back at the older woman, before dropping Laney's hair, which she'd gathered into a pile in her hands, giving off the appearance of cascading curls.

"All right. We'll get you your own pumps, but Kevin and I saw it in the store, and figured you'd love it."

"I do. Thank you."

When the two pulled apart, Laney brushed her hair off her shoulder.

"That's right! I completely forgot that the Tonys were coming up. What are you all wearing?"

"You'll see."

"Wait until the Tony's, Laney."

"Mama?"

"I don't buy and tell. You'll have to wait until the Tonys, baby girl." Ela said, sipping her tea.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Laney stood in front of the full length mirror in her room, dressed in the dress Sky and Kevin had gotten her.

She modeled for the mirror, striking poses and pretending to look shocked as she accepted her Tony. It was one of these poses- with her mouth wide open and her hands pressed to her cheeks- that her parents found her in.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Laney turned, to see her parents standing in the doorway to her room.

"Mama......Daddy.....how.....how long have you been.....there?"

"Long enough to see you do this." Ela said, imitating her daughter. Laney blushed, ducking her head.

"Relax, baby, we have something for you." Yero said, as he and his wife entered the room. He held a shoe box out to her, and settled in her desk chair, as Laney sat next to her mother on the bed. She opened the box, revealing a pair of black, Linea Paolo 'Gwen' Pumps.

"Oh my god." Laney looked from her mother to her father and back. "How--"

"We know you need a pair of heels for the Tonys next week, and since your other heels are all shot, we figured we'd get you a new pair of heels." Ela said.

"Thank you, Mama." Laney said, hugging her mother. Then, she got up and went to her father. "Thank you, Daddy."

"You're welcome, baby girl." Yero said, hugging his daughter close.

Silently, she slipped the heels on, and stood, not before misstepping. She stumbled forward, as her parents reached out to steady her.

"I guess......I need to relearn how to walk in heels, right?" Laney asked, looking at her parents. The majority of her shoes were flats or tennis shoes, she'd worn all her heels out. Both Ela and Yero rolled their eyes. When Laney had taken the heels off and put them in her closet, she turned, to see her parents standing in the middle of the room, arms around each other, kissing gently.

She watched for a few minutes, as her parents shared several short, quick, loving kisses, before clearing her throat. The two broke apart, and turned to stare at their daughter. Ela blushed red, and Yero ducked his head. Embarrassed. They were both exceedingly embarrassed. Ela then buried her face in her husband's chest, before peeking at her daughter. When they pulled away, Ela went to her daughter, cupping her cheek and kissing her forehead before heading downstairs. When she was gone, Laney turned to Yero.

"You really love Mama, don't you Daddy?" Yero nodded. Then, he moved past his daughter, and went to the door.

"Come on, sweet pea. I want to show you something." Quiet, Laney followed.

They reached the second floor, and Yero led her to the master bedroom. Laney stopped in the doorway, watching as her father went to their closet.

Her parents' room was decorated in nice mochas, greens, and whites, including the Hotel by Park Avenue Cheval Bedding. Laney's eyes roamed over the mahogany dresser, nightstands, to the curtains. Her eyes landed on the Piet Mondrain _Composition _painting her mother loved so much, the _Glasses I_ painting, the _Concrete Swirl_ painting, mixing with the black and white photography of New York, and Grand Central Station, and a piece of 'New York' framed wall art, gave the room extra pop. There were also a few frames hanging on the wall of Ela and Yero's family- that were in a small, cluster near the bed.

All thanks to Ela. Her mother certainly had a flair for style.

Her mother had decorated the kitchen like an old fashion cafe, with cafe wall decor, giving it an old charm. The living room, was doused in contemporary art and black and white photography, as well as a _Dance Love Sing Live, _and their _Live Love Laugh _metal artwork, words her parents lived by. They had several pieces of metal artwork, including one of Ela's favorite saying, _Just One Lifetime Won't Be Enough for Us_, which hung on the wall in the hallway.

Several other beautiful wire sayings that her parents liked included _The Fondest Memories Are Made When Gathered_ _Around the Table, Life is Not Measured in the Number of Breaths We Take, but in the Moments that Take Our Breath Away, May Our Home Know Joy, Each Room Hold Laughter, Every Window Open to Great Possibilities, _and_ May All Who Enter as Guests Leave as Friends, _hung throughout the apartment. However, Ela's favorite photos weren't the contemporaries (even though she loved Mondrain) or the black and white photography.

They were the family photographs.

There was one of her parents on their wedding day, young and in love. It had taken the photographer thirty minutes to get them to look at the camera; they spent more time staring into each others eyes than looking at the camera. And when he did finally get them to pay attention, they huddled close, their arms around each other, bodies close together. Laney liked looking at the pictures, seeing her father's brillant smile, the spark of independence still evident in her mother's eyes, but still seeing the love they shared.

Besides that photo, there was a small cluster of photographs from their wedding on the wall as well. One of Auntie Dee with her mother, both looking over their shoulders, one of the whole wedding party, several of Auntie Dee and the girls with her mother, one of her parents, her father's arms wrapped around her mother's waist from behind, and finally, one each of her parents by themselves. In her father's, he was leaning against the door jam of the French doors that led to the patio, not long after the ceremony, relaxed, hands in his pockets, his snapping blue eyes focused on something or someone that was out of the photo- most likely her mother.

And then there was the one of her mother alone. It was perhaps Laney's favorite photo in the whole cluster.

In the photograph, her mother was standing by herself in the backyard, her wedding bouquet in one hand, at her side. Her long, ebony hair tumbled in curls down her back, and she played with an ebony curl. Her wedding ring glinted in the light, and she wore a look of shy happiness, a small smile gracing her soft pink lips, her eyes shimmering with undying love, with a hint of that firey independence rebelling amid the love that was brought on by her day of happiness.

Laney always felt like Ela was staring right at her; like she knew what her future held for her. Like she knew that she would have a baby nine months after marriage, that she would birth twins three years after her oldest daughter's birth, that she would have a son two years after twins. Like she knew that she would be in a happy, loving, lasting marriage for sixteen years. Like she knew she would get her happy ending.

After the cluster of wedding photographs, there was a cluster of photographs of the children, one for each child, all circling the cluster of wedding photographs. Each one of the chldren's clusters had their name either over the cluster or under the cluster, in a beautiful metal script. Laney's was above the wedding photos, with one of her mother not long after Laney's birth, her baby girl in her arms, and several more of her daughter growing up. Each of the children's clusters were like that, showing how important their family was.

And the last photograph was on her parent's tenth anniversary, their friends surprised them with a party. At the party, Yero gave Ela a beautiful diamond necklace, with a special inscription.

_My love, my heart, my life. _

_You've made these last ten years the most memorable years of my life. I can't wait to spend the next one hundred with you, because I know they'll be just as memorable. _

_I love you, Eliana. _

_Yours, _

_Frederick_

Her mother had thrown her arms around her father's neck, sobbing, before pressing her lips against his in a passionate kiss. She had let him lead her in a dance, while Auntie Dee, again, sang their song for them, to the delight of the guests. And then, last year, on their fifteenth anniversary, Dee and Taye had held it at their house, surprising Laney's parents with a video of the last fifteen years. Her father had surprised her mother with a dozen red roses, before telling her exactly how he felt.

"'_The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose.' _But I see both. I see the rose, in all her beauty, and I see the thorns, that are protecting the rose from any and all harm." He'd taken her into his arms, and held her close, tangling his fingers in her long ebony locks.

"I've watched my rose blossom for the last fifteen years, and she's never looked more beautiful than now. From the moment I met you, I knew you were the one. I've never regretted making you my wife, it was the best thing I've ever done. You've made me the father of four beautiful children, and I've loved every moment with you. I've loved watching our children grow up, and I plan to be here, to hold you in my arms for the rest of my life, when our children are grown and have lives of their own." He gently cupped her face in his hand, before pressing his forehead against hers.

"I love you, my _beautiful, wild rose_."

She closed her eyes briefly, as the tears slid down her cheeks. Then, she met his eyes.

_"I love you." _

They'd shared a passionate kiss, before they'd enveloped their children in their arms.

Now, a year later, Laney watched her father disappear into the closet in the master bedroom. Her eyes went from the closet, landing finally on the bed with the mocha, green and white sheets. It was the bed where her parents slept, where they lay in the early morning hours, content in each others arms. Where they snuggled together in the late hours of the evening, whispering softly to each other. It was where their children had been concieved, Laney herself included. She shuddered slightly, at the thought of her parents _actually_ making love among those silk sheets.

Images of her parents, bodies slick with sweat, moving in perfect rhythm, a choreographed dance under the silk flashed before her eyes, and the moment she blinked, it vanished. Her father stood in front of her, a small trunk in his hands.

"Delaney."

"Yeah Daddy?" She asked, snapping out of it. He settled on the edge of the bed, and beckoned her over.

"Have a seat, sweet pea." Slowly, Laney moved to the bed and settled on the edge, next to her father. Just the _knowledge_ that her parents had concieved _her_ beneath these silky sheets was enough to make her shudder.

"What is it, Daddy?"

He met her eyes, before opening the chest.

"I want to show you something."

Slowly, she leaned to look over her father's shoulder, eyes wide at what she saw.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Okay, the time is going to be a little......eh. In KMG, it was 2025, so now, in TMI, it's 2041. Okay? Because Sky was sixteen in 2025, and she's twenty-six in TMI. So the time period, is 2041, but it's basically the same as 2009, we've advanced, but for the most part, in several things, have stayed the same.....**

**Thanks ghostly bender, Elphaba1Fan, and Satan's Spawn12 for reviewing 6. **

She looked from the chest to her father and back.

"Daddy, what is all this stuff?"

Yero sighed, and set the chest on the bed, before pulling something out.

Newspaper. Magazines.

They were all newspaper articles, magazine articles, old photographs. Programs, scripts.

"Daddy?"

Silent, Yero set the rest of the articles down, and held one out to her.

It was a wedding invitation.

_Hands touch, eyes meet_

_Hearts leap in a giddy wirl....._

_Together we're unlimited, _

_Together we'll be the greatest team there's ever been,_

_Dreams the way we planned 'em,_

_If we work in tandem,_

_There's no fight we cannot win, _

_He could be that boy,_

_And I am that girl,_

_Just you and I......_

_Eliana Mackinzie Thorne _

_and _

_Frederick Jason Tipton_

_invite you to share in their _

_fairy-tale plot, _

_their very own happy ending, _

_on September 16th, 2025_

_at the Diggs's residence, _

_5009 5th Avenue SE_

_Manhattan, New York_

_1012_

_Reception afterwards_

''Your and Mama's wedding invitation?" Laney asked, looking at her father. He nodded. Laney turned, to see newspaper articles and magazine articles laid out on the bed.

On closer inspection, she noticed that they were from various shows her parents had been in over the years; Laney recognized a magazine spread of the revival _Wicked_ cast- all of them dressed in jeans and black shirts, with the word _Wicked _across the front. There was Desi, standing on the right, the wand in her hands, Samuel, who played the Wizard, sitting on a stool across from her. Then, there was her father, leaning against the piano bench, the broom slung over his shoulders, and her mother, beautiful and youthful, sitting on the floor, with one leg tucked in an Indian, as she hugged her other knee to her chest, the Grimmerie open in front of her, her long, raven hair pulled back in a ponytail and hanging over her shoulder.

The caption read:

The _Wicked_ Return!

Her eyes then moved to a magazine cover.

_Performing Arts, NY _

A photograph of her mother stared up at her. Dressed in a pair of dark jeans, and an emerald button up blouse, Ela was straddling a chair, the witch hat on her head, tilted to the side, one arm draped over the top of the chair, her other arm up, elbow resting on the chair, her chin resting on her knuckles, a smile on her face, her eyes dancing. The caption read:

Oz's Wicked Woman returns to Broadway!

Broadway's new leading lady, Eliana Mackenzie Thorne.

Among the articles, were fan letters, pictures, drawings, little trinkets.

"What is all this stuff?"

"From our earlier days, before you came along, sweet pea. When Mama and I were just starting out. We stayed with Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye until we got married, and then we moved to our own apartment." Yero said, looking at a photo of him and Ela with Dee and Taye after opening night, at the Life Cafe with the rest of the cast. They were gathered around a table, sipping drinks and chatting. He and Ela were holding hands, flashing her engagement ring for the camera, smiles on their faces.

"And then we had you." Yero said, hugging his daughter. She giggled, before turning back and looking at the other pictures.

There were photos of her parents with her aunt and uncle, of the two together, wrapped in each other's arms; of her father with her mother piggyback, her legs tucked securely at Yero's sides; photos of him holding her bridal style in his arms; of her over his shoulder, like in Kiss Me, Kate; of him kissing her passionately for the camera. There were pictures of them on their wedding day, of them at the reception, on their honeymoon; pictures of Ela during her first pregnancy, photos of them with her aunt, uncle, and Sky, with Ela's tummy showing. Photos of her parents, her mother holding a baby in her arms- that must have been Laney. There were pictures of them with Laney when she was learning how to walk, when she was in ballet, on Halloween; pictures of them when Ela was pregnant with Aria and Spencer; pictures not long after the twins were born; when the twins were growing up; when Ela had gotten pregnant with Jason; after Jason's birth; when they'd moved into their new apartment; pictures of the kids as they were growing up; at Sky's graduation and wedding, at Ela and Yero's wedding anniversary, the photos went on and on.

There were old programs, ticket stubs, keychains, magnets, little stuffed dolls.

When Laney had finished looking through the stuff laying on the bed, she turned to the chest.

Photographs, bookmarks, old reciepts, more newspaper articles, wedding announcments, birth announcements, engagment announcements, thank you cards, greeting cards, programs from school plays, blue ribbons, business cards, campaign buttons, newspaper cartoons. Her fingers brushed against something underneath the stuff, and she leaned down, removing everything, staring at the bottom of the chest. Silent, she reached down, feeling the bottom move.

A false bottom.

Just as she reached to remove the bottom, her father took the chest from her, placing everything back in the chest. When the bed was clear, he got up and placed the chest back in the closet, before returning to Laney. She had watched her father place the chest in the closet.

"Well, should we head downstairs? Mama said something about spagehetti tonight. Shall we go see if the kitchen is still intact?"

It was a well known joke in the family regarding Ela's cooking. She was actually a very good cook- but after she ruined a batch of brownies she'd made one day at Aunt Dee's not long after they got to New York- Uncle Taye joked that they were lucky the kitchen hadn't burned down in the process. The jokes had stuck, and Ela took them in stride, always beaming when her cooking managed to shut them up.

Laney nodded, and watched her father get up. She turned back to the closet, eyes searching for the spot where Daddy had hidden the chest.

"Delaney."

She turned, seeing her father standing in the doorway.

"Coming, sweet pea?"

She nodded, and got up, going to the door. He kissed her forehead tenderly, before going downstairs.

She turned back to the room, her eyes landing on the closet, where the chest lay, hidden.

That small, beautifully carved, wooden chest.

With the magazine articles, and the photographs, and the programs.

And that bottom.

That false bottom.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Anyone notice that I no longer write 'Elphaba' and 'Fiyero'? **

**A/N: Lyrics belong to their respected singers- Billy Joel, Marvin Gaye, and whoever sang 'Little Bitty Pretty One' before Billy Gilman.......**

**Question: what could be in that box?**

**Answer: you'll see......**

**Thanks to Elphaba1Fan, lizziemagic, and TwilightISmyOBSESSION for reviewing 7.**

When Laney and her father got to the dining room, the others were just sitting down.

"Bout time you two showed up. What were you doing, Yero? Teaching her to water ski?" Ela asked, unfolding her napkin on her lap. Her husband passed by her on the way to the kitchen, and planted a quick, chaste kiss on her lips. Then, he slipped into the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"No. I was showing her the chest."

"Chest?" Ela asked, turning to her husband.

"Yeah, the articles from our early years on Broadway." He said, at her incredulous look. She seemed to relax, giving him a small smile.

"Yes, well, sit down so we can say Grace." She said, turning back to her children. He passed by her on the way to his seat, gently squeezing her shoulder, and planting a kiss on her cheek as she turned to look at him. Their lips met in a quick kiss, and she blushed, watching her husband take his seat across from her at the opposite end of the table.

"Well, now that Daddy's seated, shall we?" She asked, reaching for Ari and Jason's hands. She watched to make sure the others took hands, and then looked around the table. "So, who wants to say Grace?"

Silence.

She looked around at her family, before her dark eyes fixated on her oldest.

"Laney.......baby......Delaney!"

"Hmm? What?" The teen turned to her mother, her concentration on the chest hidden in her parents' closet forgotten.

"Would you say Grace?"

"Oh......um......sure." Ela raised a dark eyebrow.

"Well, go on."

"Oh, okay." She thought a moment, before starting. "Um......d.....dear Lord....." She glanced at her parents in turn out of the corner of her eyes. ".....th....thank you for....this....for this meal we're about to....partake in.......we.....thank you, our Father. Amen."

The others whispered the affirmation, before eating, Laney watched her parents cross themselves silently, their hands going from their foreheads to their chests, to their left and then right shoulder, before returning to their foreheads. She watched her mother silently kiss her fingers, and saw her whisper,

'Bless my love, bless my life, bless my family.'

It was her mother's silent prayer, one she always repeated before eating. Her father always whispered,

'Bless my children, my wife, my marriage.'

Each had their own little prayer. Laney's family wasn't very religious; they attended church on occasion, and send Grace before every meal; her parents whispered little prayers when someone was sick, or there was an accident of some kind.

Now, the family settled into the steady rhythm of dinner. While the rest talked and chatted, Laney turned all her attention to the chest in the closet.

She _had_ to know what was under that false bottom.

* * *

Two hours after dinner, when the dishes were washed and put away, and the leftovers placed in the fridge, Yero went to the cd player.

He placed a cd into the player, and hit PLAY, before going over to his wife.

Ela looked up from her book, her reading glasses perched on the edge of her nose.

"Yes Yero?"

"Care to dance, Ela, my love?"

Giving her husband a small smile, she marked her place, and got up, allowing him to pull her to her feet. He pulled her to the middle of the living room floor, as the first notes of _Little Bitty Pretty One _began playing. Her head snapped up, and she smiled.

"_American Graffitti_."

He nodded.

_"I've been a watchin' you grow......"_

Ela laughed, as Yero dipped her, their noses pressed together. He kissed her quickly, and then reached up, taking her glasses and gently removing them. Then, he set them on the coffee table, and righted his wife, before swinging her out. The children watched wide-eyed as their father led their mother in swing. When the song ended, Yero went to Aria, and led her in a dance. Soon, however, they changed cds, and the late, great, Marvin Gaye's _Heard It Through the Grapevine_ rang through the house. When the song changed to Billy Joel's _Uptown Girl_, Yero pulled his wife back into his arms.

"_Uptown girl  
She's been living in her uptown world  
I bet she never had a back street guy  
I bet her mama never told her why_

_I'm gonna try for an uptown girl  
She's been living in her white bread world  
As long as anyone with hot blood can  
And now she's looking for a downtown man  
That's what I am"_

Yero dipped his bride, to her delight, and the delight of his children, before putting her back on her feet and swinging her out. Ela's laugh rang through the room, and she shook her head at the man she married, a smile illuminating her face. He pulled her back in wrapped his arms around her waist, his chest against her back. She pressed her nose gently against his, before he twirled her.

_"And when she knows what  
She wants from her time  
And when she wakes up  
And makes up her mind_

_She'll see I'm not so tough  
Just because  
I'm in love with an uptown girl  
You know I've seen her in her uptown world  
She's getting tired of her high class toys  
And all her presents from her uptown boys  
She's got a choice"_

"You're an excellent dancer, Mrs. Tipton."

A smile that lit up her eyes. He saw the spark of independence, the rebelliousness that flashed in her eyes. She was still the same, independent, talented woman he had met back in Oz, the same woman he had fallen in love with all those years back at Shiz. She was still the same, beautiful, intelligent girl he'd met at the university, that he'd run off with all those years ago.

Only now, she was his wife, his life partner, his best friend, his lover. She was the mother of his children, his costar, his leading lady. She was the woman who'd birthed his babies, the woman who'd made their apartment feel like home, the woman who usually got their small group together at the Life for lunch, or a quick bite after rehearsal. She was the woman who dragged the girls out for the afternoon, who was often caught singing along with the radio while she was baking, who _still_ tried to hard during birthdays and holidays.

She was his life, his heart. He watched her kiss her children goodnight, watched her teach them how to cook or dance, watched her help the girls work on their makeup, or helped the boys put something together. He watched her climb into bed next to him, he felt her snuggle into his arms, felt her burrow into his embrace. There wasn't an evening that didn't go by without her tracing gentle circles on his chest, or nudging her nose into his neck.

_"Uptown girl  
You know I can't afford to buy her pearls  
But maybe someday when my ship comes in  
She'll understand what kind of guy I've been  
And then I'll win_

_And when she's walking  
She's looking so fine  
And when she's talking  
She'll say that she's mine"_

"So are you, Mr. Tipton."

It was normal for them to use their marital names for each other. In fact, they preferred calling each other by their marital names more than by their nicknames. But they only used them at home; more as special pet names than anything else. Among their friends, they went by their nicknames, or their whole names. It wasn't uncommon for the children to hear their parents called 'Mackenzie' and 'Jason'. Although Auntie Dee called them 'Ela' and 'Yero'.

_"She'll say I'm not so tough  
Just because  
I'm in love  
With and uptown girl  
She's been living in her white bread world  
As long as anyone with hot blood can  
And now she's looking for a downtown man  
That's what I am_

_Uptown girl  
She's my uptown girl  
You know I'm in love  
With an uptown girl"_

"I love you."

He chuckled, and pressed his nose to hers. Their bodies pressed together, and they moved around the living room, to their children's delight. After dinner, usually they listened to music, and every so often, their parents would move the table out of the way, and swing dance. Tonight, was one of those nights.

Laney sat in the armchair, and watched her father pull her mother into his arms and dip her. But her mind focused on the chest.

_"My uptown girl  
Don't you know I'm in love  
With an uptown girl  
My uptown girl  
Don't you know I'm in love  
With an uptown girl  
My uptown girl"_

He whispered the words into her ear, and she giggled. When the song faded, he kissed her softly, before pulling away. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lifted her off her feet, swinging her gently around.

"Oh my beautiful Mackenzie."

Her laugh rang through the room, and she tossed her head, her long raven hair tumbling down her back.

"I love you, Jason."

His arms tightened around her waist, and they stared at each other, before pressing their lips together in a gentle kiss.

* * *

As her parents were tucking her siblings in, Laney slipped into her parents' room and went to the closet. She pushed the clothes out of the way, searching for a small wooden chest.

Nothing.

As she turned to go, her eye caught sight of something at the back of the closet.

A door.

A small, hidden door.

About the size of one of her mother's framed pictures.

She turned back around, and knelt down.

It looked like one of the doors that led to a hidden room, like the bookcase in 263 Prinsengracht that led to the eight rooms- the 'Secret Annex'- where Anne Frank and seven others hid for two years during the Second War.

Slowly, she reached out and grasped the knob, turning the door.........


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Listening to Billy Joel......now I remember why he's one of my favorite singers.......**

**Thanks to Elphiethegood and TwilightISmyOBSESSION for reviewing 8.**

"You think Laney's okay?"

The girl stopped, the sound of her mother's voice close by. She pulled away from the door, and went to the front of the closet. A glimpse of her parents coming into the room caused her to dart back into the closet, and close the door. She huddled in the dark, listening to their conversation.

"Sweetheart, she's fine."

"Are you sure? Because, was it just me, or did she seem a little......off tonight during dinner?"

Her father furrowed his brow.

"Off?"

"Well, didn't you notice how she said Grace tonight? Like she'd never heard of Grace in her life. We've been saying since she was born--hell, since before she was born. Before we even concieved her. And you'd think she was just learning to say it. And she didn't say anything during dinner tonight."

"Maybe she just wanted to think. Not _all_ of us like to _talk_, you know."

"I know. And not_ all_ of us like to _think_, either." Came the reply.

Silence, before Laney heard a moan followed by a giggle.

"Right, my beautiful, brainless husband?"

"Exactly _who_ are you calling brainless, my wicked witch?"

Her mother's laugh, tailed by nothing but silence.

Kissing.

"Mmm.......I love you, Mr. Tipton."

He kissed her softly again, before the two reluctantly broke. Then, he reached up and gently thumbed her lower lip, as their foreheads pressed together, their noses touching, their eyes closed.

"I love you, Mrs. Tipton."

He whispered it so softly, that Laney hadn't thought her father had said anything. Crawling to the door, she silently pushed it open, and peeked out. Her parents were sitting on the edge of the bed, still dressed, kissing softly. Her father gently cupped her mother's face in his hands, and the two shared a loving kiss. Then, she watched Ela's hands push her husband's shirt off his shoulders; once their shirts were off, Ela's hands went to her husband's jeans.

With skilled hands, she popped the button on her husband's jeans, and then reached for the zipper. Slowly, she unzipped his jeans, and wrapped her arms around his waist. His hands went to her jeans, and hooked into the top, before moving to the button and zipper. Before Laney knew what was happening, her parents were on their knees in the middle of the made bed, her father in his boxers, her mother in her black bra and bikini undergarments. They had laced their fingers, and were kissing tenderly.

Sighing, Laney leaned against the door, not realizing that it was open, and she squeaked as she tumbled to the floor, causing her parents to break apart. Her mother let out a cry, clinging to her father, his arms wrapped protectively around her waist. They stared at Laney, eyes wide.

Laney, for her part, slowly sat up, plastering a smile on her face.

"Hi Mama. Hi Daddy. What are you doing here?"

Her father was the first to recover from the shock. Still holding his wife close, he shook his head, saying,

"This is our room, Delaney. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Right." Laney said, standing and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "I forgot..."

She backed up to the door of her parents' bedroom.

".....so, um.....I'm gonna.....go......upstairs......and.......um......get ready for bed.....and um......go....go....to bed......"

Suddenly, her father climbed off the bed, pulling his wife with him.

"Come back here."

"What?"

"Come here."

Her father was beckoning her over to him. Neither moved for their robes, until Laney got close enough to them. Then, Yero pulled his robe on, and Ela hid behind her husband, holding onto his arm, her cheek pressed against his back. She watched her daughter from her cover, keeping close to her husband.

"Yeah Daddy?"

Yero crossed his arms, glaring at his daughter.

_"Sit."_

Laney crumpled to corner of the bed, as her parents settled across from her. Ela pulled her robe on, and joined her husband and daughter. Laney swallowed. Daddy was pissed. It was evident in his eyes.

Her father was fairly even tempered, laid back, relaxed. The exact _opposite_ of her mother, who was a ticking time bomb, a risk taker, a rebel. Daddy often joked that Ela could have been a spy during the Second War, she was always getting herself into trouble.

And usually dragging _him_ with her.

They balanced each other out, making the scale even. He often chased after her, fixing whatever she managed to destroy; she followed him, allowing herself to be drawn into whatever he managed to cook up. He listened while she talked, trying to get a word in edge-wise every so often, and she talked, always having something to say, be it an opinion, a statement, or a fact. They completed each other, a perfect fit.

But when her father lost his temper, or got angry, it usually took her mother several minutes to get him to calm down. From the time Laney was a baby, she never remembered her father striking her; he never raised a hand to his children, he preferred sharp words to a fierce slap. Usually, he wouldn't talk to you for the next few days, while you got it into your thick skull that what you'd done was wrong. Laney had been on the recieving end of her father's silent treatment at least once when she was younger, for doing things she shouldn't have.

Now _her mother_; she was the one you had to fear. While her father had to be faced with something his children did before he lost his temper, her mother could go off at any time. And when she went off, it was good to duck and cover. She could rant and rave for days on end, and it took her husband- as well as Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye at times- to calm her down, and _keep_ her calm.

So Laney felt slightly better that she was dealing with her father and not her mother, but she still worried. Daddy wasn't happy. She glanced at Mama, who crossed her arms over she chest and glared at her daughter. She wasn't too happy that Laney was in trouble; if one of the children had a good excuse, she usually took their side, but since Laney was giving none, she was on her husband's side.

Laney couldn't blame her. She'd be on Daddy's side too if her daughter had tumbled out of their closet.

"Well?"

"Hmm? What did you say, Daddy?" Laney asked, looking at her parents.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Delaney?"

"Um....uh......'' She stopped, giving her parents her trademark smile.

Her parents got up, pulled her to her feet, and took her upstairs to her room. They waited while Laney changed into her pajamas, before coming into her room and sitting on her bed, as she climbed under the covers.

"Goodnight." Daddy kissed her forehead, and went to the door, as Mama did the same. As they left, Laney sat up.

"Daddy!"

He turned, Ela looking back over her shoulder at their daughter.

"I'm sorry."

He nodded, silent, before going downstairs.

Laney lay back among her pillows, sighing.

The next couple of days were going to be hell.

You did _not_ cross _either_ of her parents.

It was like pissing off the Wicked Witch of the West.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: When I say 'original members of the family', I mean Yero, Ela, and Laney, before Aria, Spencer, and Jason came along. So basically, from the end of chapter 36 to the end of chapter 55 in KMG.**

**Thanks to for reviewing 9. And thanks to TheGoodWitchOftheWest for reviewing 8. (I accidentally put TwilightISmyOBSESSION--sorry. I've glad you've been reading it though)**

Early the next morning, Laney crept quietly downstairs.

She passed her parents' room, and hurried down the stairs to the kitchen. She moved to the living room, and after checking that the coast was clear, stepped into the kitchen.

"Next time you try to sneak downstairs, leave the slippers in your room."

Laney turned, to see her mother sitting at the dining room table, a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Mama? How....how did you....."

"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, so I asked Daddy if he'd make an early breakfast." She turned, Laney following suit, to see her father placing two omelets on two plates.

"H....Hi Daddy."

He glanced at her, before opening the drawer and pulling out two sets of silverware. Then, he picked up the plates and joined his wife at the table, setting hers on the table in front of her. Once they were both seated, they said Grace, and started eating, oblivious to their daughter.

"Um.....could I have an omelet?" Laney asked, playing the child. She usually won her parents over if she acted innocent. Her father glanced at her, and her mother met her eyes.

"If you want one, fix it yourself." Ela said, taking a sip of her coffee.

Laney's face fell.

"But....I don't know how to cook."

"Then you're out of luck, Shirley."

Laney started, before realizing her mother's mix-up of the popular idiom. Even sixteen years after they moved to New York, Ela _still _messed up well-known sayings.

"It's you're SOL out of luck, Mama."

Ela looked at her daughter, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, exactly. I said that."

"No you didn't. You said--" Laney started slowly, when her mother interrupted her.

"Is there a point, Delaney?"

"Yes. You're saying the idioms wrong, Mama. It's you're SOL out of luck, not you're out of luck."

Ela rolled her eyes.

"No shoot, Shirley."

"It....it's no...shit, Shirley." Laney whispered. Ela turned back to her breakfast. Sighing, Laney went into the kitchen, and fixed a bowl of cereal. Then, she sat next to her mother. "Um....could you pass the sugar, please Mama?"

Ela slid the sugar container across the table, the side of the container clinking against the side of Laney's bowl.

"Thank you."

Ela nodded, and returned to her omelet.

The three original members of the family ate in silence for a while, until Spencer came down, followed by Jason. Aria was the last to come into the kitchen.

"Morning."

Silence. Then,

"Morning kids."

Their parents spoke in unison, and the other three looked at each other, confused as to why their parents weren't talking to Laney. When the other three sat down, their father got up, taking his and his wife's plates into the kitchen and washing them off, before putting them into the dishwasher. Ela then got up, poured herself another cup of coffee, and wrapped her arms around her husband from behind. She kissed his shoulder, and the two conversed softly, oblivious to the kids watching them. Turning from their parents, the kids turned back to their breakfast.

_"What did you do?" _Aria asked, across from Laney. Laney didn't say anything.

Finally,

_"Why do you assume I did something?"_

"Because _you always do something_. You're _always_ getting into trouble. Just by being_ you_. It's _your_ fault Mama and Daddy aren't talking to each other."

"They're talking to each other, Emily. It's _us_ they aren't talking too." Spencer said, taking a bite of his toast.

"No. It's _Laney_ they aren't talking to, because she did something stupid. _Again_." Aria said, turning to her sister and examining her. Then, she turned to her cereal.

Laney dropped her spoon back in her bowl, and got up, going into the kitchen and placing the bowl into the dishwasher once she'd cleaned it out. Her father kissed his wife gently, before heading upstairs to change for work.

"Mama?" Ela drained her cup, put it in the dishwasher, and then left to get ready.

They had to be at work today at seven, and had to catch the R Train in order to get to Manhattan by six thirty. Laney checked the clock; it was four-thirty. Why her parents got up at the ungodly hour of four, she never understood until she was older.

* * *

Half an hour later, Laney came down the stairs from her room, passing her parents' room.

"What made it worse was that she had no explanation."

The girl stopped, and hid behind the door, listening.

"Well it doesn't matter, Ela. Laney obviously doesn't have a reason for sneaking into our room, so why worry about it anymore?"

A sigh.

"I know, Yero."

Silence.

"What could she be so interested in? There's nothing in our closet that she could want, and we're not hiding anything......the chest."

"I'm sorry love, did you say something?"

"The chest. Yero, what if she was looking for the chest?"

"Ela, I showed her what was in the chest. We have nothing to worry about."

"But, what about---"

"Hush love, you'll make yourself sick thinking about it."

"You're right. We have nothing to be worried about."

Laney backed up, pressing against the wall as the door opened, and her parents came out, both dressed in jeans and shirt, her mother's dark purple blouse contrasting with her ebony hair.

"Ready?" Yero asked, wrapping her in his arms.

"Yes." The two shared a gentle kiss, before heading downstairs. Quietly, Laney followed. She watched her parents kiss her siblings goodbye, and then met their eyes.

"You really must have screwed up." Aria said, once their parents had left.

* * *

Half an hour later, Laney came downstairs, to find her brothers playing Scrabble, and her sister watching _The Devil Wears Prada_. She pulled her light sweater on, and then put her purse over her shoulder, before grabbing her house keys. Her parents had tried teaching her to drive six weeks earlier; she had her permit, but not her license.

"Where are you going?"

Laney looked up at Aria. Spencer and Jason turned their attention from their game.

"Out."

"Where?"

"None of your business."

Aria paused her movie.

"Can I come?"

"Did I _say you could come_?"

"Fine. I can take a hint."

Laney sighed.

"All right, you can come. Just.....don't drag your feet."

Aria stopped her movie, put it back in the case, and got up, grabbing her bag.

"Can we come?"

Laney stopped at the front door.

"Did I _say_ you could come?"

The boys looked at her.

"Can we?" Jason asked.

_"DO I LOOK LIKE A BABYSITTER?" _Laney snapped.

Jason's blue eyes welled with tears, and Laney deflated.

"I....I'm sorry Jas. Of course, you two can come. Just....don't drag your feet." She said, sounding like a broken record.

Ela always told the kids they could go anywhere with her, as long as they didn't drag their feet.

"Come on, let's go!"

Laney waited as her siblings left the apartment before closing and locking the door behind them. She sighed, as she followed them downstairs.

"Where are we going?"

"To Manhattan."

"No shit, Shirley. _Where_ in Manhattan?"

"You know what Ari, if you don't shut your yap, you can stay home!"

As they headed out of the apartment complex, Laney rolled her eyes, pulling the door closed behind her, muttering,

"Sometimes I wish it was just Mama, Daddy and I again. _Why_ did she have to have another baby? And why did her second pregnancy _have _to be twins? I would have been happy if it was just Spencer. He at least keeps his mouth shut."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Elphaba1Fan for reviewing 10.**

The subway rumbled into the station, and the doors opened once the train had stopped. Laney grabbed Jason's hand as they left the subway, and she steered her siblings through the throng of people coming and going. Once they made it on the street, Laney turned to her siblings.

"Well, where are we going?" Aria asked.

"I don't know." Laney sighed. "Where do you want to go?"

Jason tugged on her shirt. Even though there were six years between him and Laney, the two were particularly close.

"Laney?" She looked down at her baby brother.

"What is it Jas?"

"Could I get a pretzel?"

She nodded.

"Sure."

They headed down the street, passing vendors selling T-shirts and souvenirs, hot dogs and magazines, before stopping at a vendor. They bought something to eat, and then continued down the street, before getting to Central Park. By the time they settled on the grass, finishing their pretzels, a plan had formed in Laney's head.

She'd stop by to see Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye. Maybe they could talk her parents into forgiving her. They'd listen to her, they always did.

* * *

Laney knocked on the door of Idina's townhouse. After fifteen minutes, she knocked again.

Twenty minutes passed, and just as she raised her hand to knock again, footsteps were heard. The door was pulled open, and Sky stuck her head out, her long brown hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. She tossed her head, her bangs flying and landing back on her forehead.

"Lanes, what--"

Then her eyes landed on the other kids.

"So I see you brought the whole brood."

Laney nodded.

"Yeah."

"Well, come on in." Sky said, pushing the door open. She headed through the living room to the kitchen, the children following. Jason shut the door, and hurried to catch up with his siblings. "So, what brings you here?"

The kids watched Sky enter the living room and go into the kitchen, following. Sky poured herself another cup of coffee, and then poured one for Laney, before getting the juice from the fridge.

"We can get it, thanks though." Spencer said. Sky nodded, and handed Laney her cup. She'd added cream and sugar to both cups, and ushered Laney to the dining room table. After they were seated, Laney said,

"Um, well......Is Auntie---"

"Mama?"

Laney looked up, to see Rachel come into the room. Her beautiful mulotto skin was like her mother's, and she went over to her, climbing into her lap. The teen felt jealously slowly well build inside of her; in some tiny way, she hated Rachel. She hated having to grow up, hated watching Sky go off and get married, hated the fact that Sky had two children. She wanted to be a little girl again, when it was just her, Mama and Daddy, when they were living in the apartment in Westbeth; when they went to Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye's for dinner every other night; when Sky used to babysit her, when Mama and Daddy went out.

Laney blinked, and remembered why she was here.

"Um, Sky?"

"Yeah?"

"Are Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye here? I need to talk to them about something."

"She screwed up big time, Selky." Aria said. Laney glared at her.

"What happened?" Sky asked, sipping her coffee. Laney sighed.

* * *

She told Sky the whole story, about Daddy showing her the chest, about her slipping back into her parents' closet and finding the door, about being caught by her parents, about that morning. When she finished, Sky bit her lip.

"Yeah, your parents can be kind of harsh. But on the overall, you deserved it."

"Who cares. What I want to know, is if Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye are home?"

Sky shook her head.

"No, sorry Lanes. They're both at work."

"Oh. Could you help me then?"

"I can't sweetie, I'm sorry. Um....why do you want to talk to Mom and Dad?"

"Well, they can usually calm Mama down, and I was wondering if they'd talk to them."

Sky shifted Rachel on her lap.

"When they get back, I'll talk to them, okay?"

Laney nodded.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Elphaba1Fan for reviewing 11.**

Later that evening, Laney looked up from her book, to see her parents enter the apartment.

They were silent, until they turned to her. Ela placed her hands on her hips, glaring at her older daughter.

"Kids, go upstairs, we need to talk to Delaney." She said. Slowly, the other children got up and left. When they'd disappeared upstairs, Fiyero sat in the armchair across from the sofa. Ela took the other side of the sofa, and Laney closed her book.

"We had a nice talk to Idina, Taye and Skyler tonight after work. They had us come over after rehearsal, and Skyler told us that you'd stopped by this afternoon and asked her to talk to us."

Laney winced, her mother's voice bit, and her dark eyes burned into Laney's skin.

"Really? Because I stayed home all day."

"Don't lie to us, Delaney Kim. Sky wouldn't lie to us, neither should you."

The girl sighed, and grabbed a pillow, playing with the edge.

"I'm not lying."

Her mother raised a slender eyebrow.

"You suck at lying, Delaney. You're just like your father."

Yero glared at her; Ela glared back.

"The truth, Delaney." Yero said, resting his arms on his knees and folding his hands. He looked at his daughter, who didn't meet his eyes.

"The truth, the truth, the truth....." Yero looked at Ela, who promptly stopped singing_ See What I Wanna See_. Both she and Yero were in the revival of _See-_ of which opening night was two days away.

Ela played Kesa, The Wife, and An Actress, and Yero played The Theif and A Reporter. It was a five person cast, three separate stories. Auntie Dee had originated Ela's roles back in 2005, and was anxious to see the young woman put her twist on the three characters.

"Now, why would you lie to us?"

Laney sighed.

"Because...."

"Because why?"

"Because....I want.....to know....what's.....in that chest in your closet."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to ghostly bender for reviewing 12.**

Her parents looked at each other.

"What chest?"

"The chest Daddy showed me."

"Oh....that chest."

Laney nodded.

"Yeah. That chest."

Yero sighed, and got up.

"Well, I showed you what's in that chest. Newspaper clippings from our early days on Broadway."

"No. There's more. There's a false bottom in that chest."

Yero quirked an eyebrow, an imitation of his wife. He chuckled softly.

"A false bottom? I don't know what you've been reading lately, but there's no false bottom in that chest."

"Yes there is." Groaning, she turned to Ela.

"Mama, where did you and Daddy get that chest?"

Ela looked at her husband, before returning her eyes to her daughter.

"Down in New Orleans. When we were in college- around the time we started seriously dating. Saw it in a little shop down in the French Quarter, and bought it. Why?"

Laney's parents were originally from Louisiana- well, her mother was. Born and raised in New Orleans, the daughter of a wealthy banker, Eliana grew up in an old Southern mansion- plantation and all- just like Scarlett O'Hara. Her father was from the North East- Boston to be exact- and lived in an old Victorian style house in the heart of Boston. Frederick had transfered down to Louisiana to go to college, and run into her mother on campus one day. It'd been love at first sight.

They'd spent every waking moment together, and finally, when they graduated, moved up to New York to start a life together. They'd dated for a while, before her father finally proposed, and the rest was history. It was a true love story.

Even now, her parents' accents could be heard through the New York accent they'd acquired over their years in NYC. Her mother may have been a Southern belle, but she dressed and acted like a New Yorker, her attitude was New York, even her temper. And she talked a million miles a minute, like New Yorkers were prone to do. Her father's accent was a cross between Bostonian and New Yorker; he was more laid back, not as rush hour as Eliana, but still had the New York attitude. When you got her parents with a group of their friends, it was like watching Nascar, they chatted and talked, their voices blending and rushing, everyone trying to get a word in edgewise. It was pretty funny when you thought about it.

"Delaney!"

"What? Sorry."

Her parents looked at her oddly. Sighing, Ela leaned over, and laid the back of her hand on her daughter's forehead.

"You feel warm. Jason, I think she has a fever."

"Mama, I'm not warm!"

Laney turned, to see her father kneeling in front of her. He reached up and laid his hand on her cheek, before moving his fingers to his daughter's forehead. His brow furrowed, and his eyes sparked with worry.

"I think she's coming down with something, Mackenzie." He whispered. Laney shook her head violently, then pulled away from her parents, getting up.

"I'm not coming down with anything!" She took a couple steps, and her knees buckled. Her got up quickly, and caught her, holding her bridal style. Then, they took her upstairs and laid her in her bed. The younger kids watched from the doorway as their parents fussed over their older sister.

"What's wrong with Laney?" Jason asked. Ela looked back at her son.

"Nothing sweetheart, she's just sick."

"Is it contagious?" Aria asked.

"Is Laney going to die?" Jason asked, fear in his eyes. His father chuckled softly.

"First off, no, it's not contagious. She's just too tired, and her body's defenses are down. And second, no, Delaney is not going to die. She's going to be fine. She just needs a couple days to rest." Ela laid her hand on her husband's arm.

* * *

Later that night, after dinner, they put the kids to bed, and closed the door to their room. They'd checked on Laney earlier.

Now, Eliana turned, to see her husband sitting on the bed, the chest open next to him. She crawled onto the bed behind him, and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, gently and firmly kissing his neck.

"Mmm.....Mackenzie....."

She giggled, and continued, her lips attacking the soft meat of her husband's neck. After a few minutes, he rolled his eyes and reached down, taking her hands and firmly removing them from his waist. He pulled away, and turned to her.

"Wh....what was that for, Jason?"

An eyebrow raised.

"Frederick......kiss me. You know you want to. I know you want to. And I know you too well. I know everything about you." She had moved closer as she spoke, reaching down and taking hold of her husband's pants button. With the same skilled hands that changed costumes in twenty-five seconds before her next cue, she popped the button on his jeans and worked the zipper, before sliding her hands under his jeans and hooking her fingers into the waistband of her husband's boxers.

"Make love to me, Frederick. I'm in heat, and I want you. Badly. _Very, very_ badly."

On impulse, he kissed her, passion connecting them. His fingers worked the buttons on her blouse, pushing the garment off her shoulders, and then moving to her bra. His hands gently cupped her breasts, and then moved to the clasps at the back, unhooking them with nimble fingers and slipping it off her body. Soon, they were both nude, underneath the sheets, their bodies reaching the peak of the symphony. In their passion, they knocked the chest from the side of the bed, and it tumbled to the floor, the contents spilling out of it, onto the floor. The two broke their kiss, and they looked over the side of the bed, to see the chest laying open on the floor, articles and magazine clippings spilling out of it.

Slowly, they looked at each other, and then lay back, catching their breath. Ela rested her head on his chest, as her legs hugged his thighs, her body against his. Sighing, she stretched out, her feet mingling with his. He reached up, running a hand through her wild, untamed hair. The black shimmered against his fingers, and he tangled his hand in the strands. Taking a deep breath, she kissed his chest.

"You.....are....amazing, Mackenzie." He whispered.

"You're the amazing one, Jason." She replied, burrowing close.

Finally, they pulled away, and picked up the chest. Ela kissed her husband's shoulder, before tracing a finger along the cluster of diamond tattoos on his left shoulder.

"Here, let me help."

Her fingers wrapped around an article, and she looked at it, before looking up at her husband. Worry mirrored; Jason reached out and gently took the article from her, placing it in the bottom with the other things and then slipping the false bottom into place. Then, they put the other articles into the chest and put it in the closet. When the closet door closed, Ela pulled her husband back to the bed, and they let their passion overtake them, one thought still evident in their minds.

They hoped Laney wouldn't find out.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: Are Idina and Taye and Steph and everyone gonna be in it?**

**Answer: you'll see....**

**Thanks to Elphiethegood for reviewing 13.**

Two days later, Laney awoke to find her mother dabbing a wet washcloth on her face.

Her green eyes looked up, seeing her mother's face.

"Hey sweetheart. You're finally awake. We were worried about you. Jason, she's awake."

Laney looked up, to see her father come into the room, carrying a glass of water and a bottle. He sat on the edge, at her feet, and waited for her to sit up. Then, he handed her the glass, and shook two small, blue capsules into his hand before holding them out to her.

"Aleve. Take both, they should help." Laney did as told, gulping down the water. "You had us worried. Mama and I called the doctor two days ago- he said you had an allergic reaction to the peach cobbler we had three nights ago. Sorry sweetheart."

Laney nodded; she loved peaches. For fifteen years, nothing, and then this.

A knock sounded, and the girl looked up.

"Hey."

Stephanie stood in the doorway, a book in her hands. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a pony tail.

"Aunt Stephie. What.....what are you doing here?"

"Well, it's my day off, and so I figured I'd see how you were doing. Haven't visited in a while. Spence got the door. Said you were sick." The older woman said, coming over to the bed. She settled on the edge, as Yero got up and wrapped Ela in his arms. Then, she held the book out to Laney. "Maddie signed it for you."

_Stage Door_

Stephanie's daughter, Madison, had self-published a novel she'd written a year earlier. It was YA fiction, about life on Broadway as an actress making her start-- as a personal assistant to one of Broadway's finest.

"Thank you, Aunt Stephie." Laney's hands turned the pages, her eyes skimmed over the words. Then, she laid bck against the pillows, the Aleve starting to work.

"I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. I'm glad you're better sweetheart." Steph said, reaching out and cupping Laney's cheek. The girl smiled, her eyes closing, her breathing becoming even.

Silently, the three adults slipped out of the room and downstairs.

* * *

Ela poured three cups of coffee, and leaned against the counter.

"So, have you talked to Dee and Taye lately?" Steph asked, sipping her coffee.

"Oh we had a nice long chat with them three days ago." Ela replied sarcastically.

"About what?"

Ela waved her hand, closing the discussion, her slender, lightly freckled nose wrinkling.

"Listen, the others are gonna get together tonight for dinner. Wanna join?" Steph asked.

Yero and Ela looked at each other.

"Um..."

"I'm sure Laney will be fine. If anything goes wrong, she can get ahold of us. It's just some quality time; the last time we were all togther was at Hanna's first birthday. And we'll be together at the Tonys, but we'll basically be pitted against each other, so....."

"Sure Steph. We'd love to." Yero said, cutting his friend off. Ela nodded, sipping her coffee.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: A friend of mine ended up in the hospital a few weeks ago. Turns out she's allergic to every kind of melon and fruit documented.....**

**A/N: Oz won't come in for a while, but something else will......**

**Thanks to Elphiethegood and Elphaba1Fan for reviewing 14.**

Strong arms wrapped around a small waist.

Lips nuzzled into soft pearl flesh, as a giggle escaped perfectly glossed lips.

"Frederick!"

Ela turned, her dark eyes meeting her husband's blue ones. She sighed, and melted in his embrace like candle wax, running her hands through his sandy hair.

"Do you think the kids will be all right? I know Delaney will be here, but she's not feeling well. Maybe we should cancel--"

"Sweetheart, Laney and the others will be fine. They have our cell numbers, and the hospital, as well as Ms. Eyre's number from downstairs. They'll be fine. Besides, we need to spend some time with the others, we hardly see them." He whispered, kissing her gently on the lips. She nodded, and then started giggling. "What?"

"I didn't know raspberry was your favorite color." At his odd look, Ela ran her finger gently over her husband's lips, revealing the raspberry remains of her lipgloss. Gently, he let go of her, allowing her to fix her makeup.

Silent, Yero watched his wife reapply her lipgloss. She was so much freer with her looks than she had been when they were in college. It could have been because when they were in college, she had green skin, so she clashed with every color but dark purple, blue, marroon, and black. But since they'd come to New York, and she'd lost the green skin, she'd actually experimented with color. Now, she was able to wear the colors she hadn't been able too before- red, yellow, even pink.

Tonight, his love was dressed in a light rose colored Anne Klein Dress One Shoulder Silk Georgette Dress. The pale pink material contrasted nicely with her raven hair and pearl skin. Her makeup was done in greens and blacks, and her raven hair hung in loose curls around her face. Once she checked her reflection, she sat on the edge of the bed, and slipped into her rose gold Kate Spade 'lora' sandals.

"I'm exicted. We're actually going to get together with every one. It'll be like before. Before Laney was born, before the twins, before Jason. Back when we were first starting out." Ela said, pulling the sling backs over her heels. Yero knelt in front of her.

"I thought you loved the kids?" He whispered, a soft tease in his voice.

"I do. I love them with all my heart. They're our children, they have our DNA flowing in their veins, they're our flesh and blood, how could I not love those children? But I miss being your wife." She said, reaching down to cup his cheek.

"You are my wife."

"I mean when it was just you and I. When we were just starting out. Just us."

He chuckled softly.

"Sweetheart, there wasn't much 'us' time. Laney was concieved on our wedding night, remember?" Ela nodded. "But the time we did have, and _do_ have together is wonderful. I wouldn't want to share it with anyone else."

Ela nodded, and got up, going into the bathroom. Yero got up and went to the bathroom door. Ela was rubbing perfume on her wrists and neck. She watched Yero come over to her, and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. He buried his face in her neck, breathing in the scent of her perfume.

"Estee Lauder?"

She nodded.

"You know it?"

He chuckled.

"I know the scent well. You only wear it for a special occasion."

"Like our wedding."

He nodded, kissing the soft flesh of her neck.

* * *

"Now, we'll be at Monte's. You have our cell numbers, and if you can't get ahold of us, try Aunte Dee or Steph. Or any of the others, and if not, try Sky. And if you can't get her, go downstairs and get Ms. Eyre. Now, will you be all right alone?"

The kids nodded.

"Okay. Well, we'll be home later." Ela said, as they hugged and kissed each of their children.

Then, they left.

Once they were gone, Laney went into the kitchen, and made some kids returned to their activities and the apartment settled down. Laney returned to her room to lay down. However, sleep didn't come. Instead, an idea formed.

Now that her parents were out, she could go back to the closet and open that door.

And then get that chest.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

Quietly, Laney slipped down the stairs to her parents' room. Making sure the other children were downstairs in the living room, she slipped through the door, and looked around.

Her feet led her past the bathroom, and she caught a glimpse of her mother's perfume sitting on the counter. Backtracking, she went to the bottle, picking it up.

Estee Lauder

Pleasures Intense

Holding it away from her, she pressed down, spraying the perfume. It smelled like flowers. She knew her mother only wore it for special occasions. She replaced it on the counter, and left, going to the closet.

Soon, she found the door.

Her fingers closed around it, and she pulled gently, the small door creaking open. When she'd opened it fully, she saw stairs that led to a hidden room. Glancing over her shoulder, she moved up the stairs, and stood, finding herself in an old bedroom. It had been closed off, dust floated in the air. Slowly, Laney looked around.

There was an old, four poster, hand carved wooden bed in the middle of the room, a wooden dresser and clothes press on the wall across from the bed, a nightstand next to the bed, and a small desk. A window was right across from Laney. She moved into the room, and saw that the bed still had a pillow with a light blue blanket on it. A porcelian wash basin and pitcher sat on a small stand, and an old lamp stood on the night stand. Finally, Laney turned, to see a porcelian doll propped on the pillow. Slowly, Laney reached out, picking it up.

The doll had a china face and hands, black curls, and blue eyes. She was dressed in a dark green dress, with black lace on the hem and cuffs, a black ribbon around the waist. White stockings were on her feet, and she wore black shoes. A green bow was in her hair, and she wore a heart locket around her neck. Perfect condition.

The sound of something behind her caused Laney to set the doll back on the bed and turn. Nothing was there.

Feeling slightly chilled, she wrapped her arms around herself and moved from the bed. Slowly, she pulled the doors of the clothes press open, revealing dresses and coats.

A little girl's clothes.

This was a little girl's room.

With curious fingers, she reached out, running her fingers over the soft silk and smooth satin of the material. Dresses with lace and bows, puffed sleeves and sashes. Delicate pearl buttons and velvet collars. Coats with brass buttons and pockets for small hands. On the floor of the press, were delicate slippers and high button boots, hats and muffs. In the drawers, were bloomers and stockings, camisoles and long underwear.

Laney closed the press, and moved to the desk.

Sitting atop, were school books, stacked one on top of the other, and held with a book strap. Pens and ink, an ink well, and pencils lay next to them. A piece of paper lay on the desk, neat writing scrawled on it.

_Dear Cousin Charlotte,_

_I'm so excited that you'll be coming to visit for Christmas. Mother said that we could go ice skating in Central Park! And Almira said that we could make gingerbread houses in kitchen, as long as we were careful. It's been so long since I've seen you, that I don't remember what you look like...._

The letter only lasted a few more sentences before stopping in the middle.

Suddenly, something sounded behind Laney, and she turned.

Nothing.

Another sound, and, spooked, Laney rushed from the room, hurrying down the stairs.

When she finally passed through the door, she found herself alone in her parents closet. She closed the door, and leaned against it.

"Laney?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Elphaba1Fan for reviewing 16.**

The girl looked up to see Jason standing in the doorway.

"Jas?"

"What are you doing Laney?" He asked, coming over to her.

"Nothing. Just.....returning a pair of shoes I borrowed from Mama. Why?"

He shrugged.

"Laney?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm hungry."

She nodded, and got up, taking her brother's hand and leading him out of the room, and down to the kitchen.

* * *

After they'd eaten, and the younger kids went to bed, Laney returned to her parents' room. She had to find that chest.

Just as she slipped into the closet, the phone rang.

"Shit."

Quickly, she dashed from the room and down to the living room.

"Hello?"

* * *

Ela's laugh rang through the restaurant.

Shoshana was in the middle of a story about her first performance in_ Wicked_ as.....well, Elphaba.

"So I come running onstage for my opening scene- you know, like you do Ela-" The others nodded. "Well, I was so nervous, that instead of stopping, I kept running. I ran right off stage-"

"Into the wings?" Ela asked. Sho shook her head.

"No. Into the orchestra pit."

Laughter. This was the first time in years that the group had gotten together without the children.

"I'm gonna check on Laney." Ela said, pulling out her cell and excusing herself.

It rang for a few minutes, and then Laney picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby. How's everything going?"

"Oh hi Mama. Um....good. How's dinner?"

"It's going good. Did you and the kids eat?"

"Yeah."

"All right. We should be home in another hour or so."

"Okay."

"Love you Delaney."

"Love you too Mama."

* * *

When Laney hung up the phone, she returned to the closet. After several minutes of searching, she sat on the closet floor, her feet landing hard.

"Ow."

She stopped, and hit the spot again.

It was hollow.

Shifting, she faced the floorboards, and slowly, her fingers found the small clasp in the floor.

Grasping it, she pulled, and the board came open, revealing a hiding place.

She gasped, her eyes wide.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: The Tonys are tomorrow, and the secret is discovered after the awards show.....**

**Thanks to lizziemagic and Elphaba1Fan for reviewing 17.**

Slowly, she reached into the hiding place, and pulled out the wooden chest Daddy had shown her. It was beautiful.

Gently, she set the chest down next to her and replaced the floorboard. Then, she turned to the chest. Just as she was about to open it--

"Kids! We're home!"

Shit.

Her parents.

Quickly, she scrambled to her feet, gathered the chest, and raced out of the room, rushing to her own room and stuffing the chest under her bed. Then, she hurried downstairs, to see her father helping her mother out of her coat. The younger kids were up and downstairs as well.

"Hey kids, how was your night?"

"Good." Spencer said, through a yawn. Ela noticed, and gently ran her hands through her son's hair.

"That's good. Now, I think you all need to get back to bed. It's late."

The kids nodded, and kissed their parents goodnight before going back to bed. Then, the couple turned to Laney.

"How was everything?"

"Good. How was dinner?"

"Good. The others told us to tell you hello."

Laney nodded, yawning.

"Go get to sleep Laney, you're exhausted." Yero said, hugging his daughter.

"Okay. 'Night Daddy. 'Night Mama."

After hugging both her parents, she headed upstairs, climbed into bed, and let sleep overtake her, thoughts of the chest under her bed gone.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Sorry, classes started last week, so I've been busy getting back into the swing of college.....**

**A/N: Okay, the Tony's are today, just....later today...**

**A/N: The little girl in this chapter is based on Sallie's House, a local haunted house in Atchison, Kansas. The story goes that a little girl died on the operating table of a local doctor while he was trying to perform surgery for appendicitus......**

**However, this chapter is based on the little girl- Sallie- but not the death. The death is based on **

**Question: I wonder what's in that chest... Something Oz related?**

**Answer: you'll see....**

**Thanks to Elphaba1Fan, lizziemagic, and ghostly bender for reviewing 18. **

Strong arms wrapped around her waist, and Ela couldn't help the smile that played on her lips.

It was around three a.m; dawn was yet to appear. Her husband squeezed her waist harder, and gently, he kissed the tender skin of her neck, tasting the last remains of the perfume that gently coated the silky pearl beneath his lips. His arms tightened, his legs mixing with his wife's, their toes brushing together. The thin strap of her nightgown had fallen below her shoulder, revealing tender, smooth taut skin.

She let out a gentle laugh, and turned in his arms, reaching up to cup his cheek in her hand. The sheets lay around their waists, the comforter was at the foot of the bed, and their bodies were pressed together, their breath mingling as their hands roamed over material and skin alike. When they finally broke apart, they just lay in each other's arms, staring into each other's eyes.

* * *

While the rest of her family slept, Laney sat in her room, the blankets around her, her laptop open and on in her lap.

She couldn't get the idea of the girl's bedroom out of her mind. So she looked up local records, for any mention of a little girl. One headline caught her eye, and she clicked. A huge newspaper article came up.

_LITTLE GIRL DIES DURING SURGICAL OPERATION_

_May 16th, 1902_

_MAY 16TH- THE death of Charlotte Waldorf, aged eight, yesterday night, May 15th, 1902, follows that of her cousin, Condie Williams, also aged eight, three weeks earlier. According to reports, on the evening of May 15th, Emma Waldorf awoke to Charlotte's cries of pain. The child was sweating, shaking, and complaining of stomach pains. Emma rushed her daughter to the local doctor's office, at 649 on 53rd Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY 11220. Reports state, that the doctor checked Charlotte over, before deciding to operate. After giving the girl ether to calm her and induce sleep, he began operating, not realizing that the child hadn't gone under all the way. Reports say that young Charlotte awoke not long after the first incision was made, and began screaming and fighting. Due to lack of blood, she died not long after, during the operation. Funeral services will be held at the Catholic church on Saturday, May 20th, at nine a.m. _

Laney finished reading the article, and returned to the search engine, clicking on another article.

_LOCAL DOCTOR CLOSES PRACTICE AFTER DEATH OF CHILD_

_MAY 24TH- LOCAL doctor, James Williams, has decided to close his practice as of June 1st, due to the death of Charlotte Waldorf. Charlotte Waldorf, Dr. Williams' young patient, and also his niece, died on May 15th during a surgical operation to remove her appendix......_

She closed out of the article, and then clicked one that looked interesting. A photograph accompanied the article, a photograph of a little girl, around eight years old, in a little dress of dark green, with black lace on the cuffs and hem, a black sash around the waist, a big black bow in her black curled hair. She looked adorable.

_DAUGHTER OF AFFLUENT LOCAL DOCTOR DIES OF SCARLET FEVER _

_APRIL 26TH- THE daughter of James Williams, local doctor, died of scarlet fever on May 25th, in her home at 649 on 53rd Street, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York. Cordelia "Condie" Williams, aged eight, is believed to have contracted scarlet fever at school the week before. She was kept home from school, and seemed to get better, but took a turn for the worse on April 23rd. She struggled to hang on for two days, before passing away in her bed at ten twenty-two p.m. on April 25th. Funeral services....._

Laney looked from the article, back to the photograph. She leaned closer, examining the picture. Finding that she could click on it to resize it, she did just that, and got a clear-albeit fuzzy- close up of the girl's face. She was very pretty. Laney could see the dimples in her cheeks, and the freckles on her nose. She looked familiar. Very familiar. The girl leaned closer, and her eyes widened.

She looked......no, it couldn't be.

Her mother's relatives were from the South, her ancestors hailed from England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Austria. Sure, they'd settled in New York in the 1700s, and fought for the patriots during the Revolution, before moving south during westward expansion, and settling in Louisiana in the 1830s and 40s. Ela's ancestors had fought for the confederacy, one of her aunt's had been a spy for Jefferson Davis; a distant cousin was a relative of General Robert and Mary Lee. At the turn of the century, one of her mother's great-great-great-great-great uncles or cousins or some relative had gone over to Germany and fought in World War I; a distant female cousin had been a spy for Britian and America, another Mata Hari.

A couple of her great-great uncles had been rum-runners in the 1920s, one great-great uncle had owned a speakeasy in New Orleans, a great-great aunt had gone to Hollywood and become a silent movie actress, and transformed into one of America's first It Girls. The Depression had hit them hard, and a couple of her distant cousins had moved their families west to California, looking for work. When the Second War broke out, her great uncles had enlisted in the war, three had been on Pearl Harbor, on December 7th, during the Japanese bombing; one had died that day, trapped in the hull of the sunken _Arizona. _One great uncle had raised the flag on Iwo Jima, another had helped liberate the concentration camps. One of her great aunts had been the first woman in her family to earn her wings, and had later flown with the WASP. Two of her aunts were nurses, stationed in the South Pacific; one had married an islander and stayed while the other returned home at the end of the war. Another great aunt had married a count and moved to England, and later the Netherlands, and during the Second War, proceeded to hide Jews during the Gestapo invasion. She and her husband had hidden and saved ten Jews, but were later brought to trial by Hitler's forces, and shot.

During the 1950s, her mother's family had embraced integration, a cousin had gone to college, and roomed with an African American woman in New Orleans. They had been swept up in the British Invasion, joined Martin Luther King in his march to Washington, sat at his feet on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, gone and fought in Korea. A few had fought in Vietnam; some had joined the college protests of the war, taken part in Woodstock, a couple had gone out west, and gotten mixed up in Charles Manson and his cult. They'd been present at Martin Luther King's assassination, witnessed Bobby Kennedy's assassination, one of her older cousins had joined Jonestown and died in the 1970 with the cult. Three of her cousins were gay, one a lesbian, who had contracted AIDS, and died in the eighties.

Ela had been born in the late 1970s- 1976 to be exact- and had only been a child at the time. She had grown up in the 1980s; seen AC/DC in concert when a cousin had taken her; had gone to Virginia to watch Dirty Dancing being filmed; gotten into dance because of Paula Abdul and Bob Fosse; had watched the Space Shuttle _Challenger_ explode on TV. The first musical she'd ever seen had been _42nd Street_ at the Winter Garden Theater, on August 25th, 1980, starring Jerry Orbach in the title role. She'd met the actors backstage afterwards, and gotten their autographs. She'd only been four at the time, but it was her most vivid memory.

Her mother's family had experienced it all.

Sure, some of her relatives probably stayed in New York early on, but the majority moved south.

Her _father's_ family, now_ that_ was interesting. More or less.

Yero's ancestors were Russian, Spanish, English, Irish, and Dutch, who had come over in the 1600s, with the Puritans. They'd taken part in the mass hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials; fought for the British during the Revolution; and some had moved west to California during the 1800s- a few went with Brigham Young to Utah, and participated in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Others in the family had been with the ill-fated Donner Party in 1846-48. Those that stayed East had fought in the Union; one had been a member of Lincoln's cabinet; another one of the first of Al Pinkerton's secret service; two had been conductors on the Underground Railroad. His distant uncles had been investors on Wall Street in the turn of the century; one had owned a theater; another had been a vaudevillian. When World War I had broken out, several had gone over to fight; a distant relative that still lived in Russia had been a countess; another had been one of the assassins of the Royal Family- one of the killers of the Romanovs.

After the war, during the 1920s, a great-great aunt had fought for women's sufferage; three had been part of 'the Lost Generation', two authors, one painter; three were flappers. In the 1930s, during and after the crash of '29, some of his ancestors had lost money in the stock market; one was a radio star; another a composer. During the Second War, several of his ancestors had fought overseas; one great-uncle had taken part in D-Day; another had married a princess and moved to London, and then taken part in the Battle of Britain during the war. Two of his great-uncles had helped drop Fat Man and Little Boy on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of the war. Two had died in battle, recieving the Congressional Medal of Honor for services to their country, and were buried in Arlington National Cemetery. One great-uncle had never been claimed, and so joined the Unknowns at the Tomb in the same cemetery.

During the 1950s and 60s, four of his distant cousins had been accused of Communism- one was executed; three had patrolled Florida's border during the Cuban Missle Crisis; one had become a reporter and documented the Iron Curtain, two served in Korea. A couple of his older cousins had been part of the protesters at the Kent State Shootings; three of his older cousins had become Freedom Riders, going down south to integrate; one of his cousins married an African American woman he had grown up down the street from; another joined Rosa Parks in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

In the 1970s, one of his distant cousins announced that he was gay and became disowned due to it; another cousin was an extra in _The Exorcist_; a couple cousins had been reporters for two different newspapers, and been the first to hear about Watergate; and still another had become a commander at NASA. Yero had also been born in 1976- he was four months older than his wife. He'd gotten into acting and singing because of Michael Jackson's music and the Brat Pack; his older sister had forced him to watch _Flashdance_, which sparked his interest in dance; he watched the 1984 Summer Olympics on TV.

Yes, Delaney's parents were quite the team, and their respected family histories were the stuff of fiction. How _they'd_ met, however, was a story in and of itself.

Laney had heard the story numerous times; both of her parents had a different version of how they'd met; the only thing they agreed on was how they'd met. How they'd met had been when they were at an ice cream parlor in New Orleans. Fiyeor and his parents had gone there during a trip, and Ela had gone there with her older cousin. They'd gotten into an arguement, and then decided to be penpals. They conversed for years, until the two went to college, where they ran into each other one day on campus. Their old love had been rekindled, and the rest was history.

She was sure there was more to the story, but had never asked. Not that it mattered now. What mattered was the mystery of the girl in the photograph.

It looked like Ela.

* * *

Laney watched through the slightly open door.

Finally, mustering her courage, she pushed the door open entirely, and the girl slipped into her parents' room. She stood at the foot of the bed, watching silently, before clearing her throat. She had to tell them about the door in their closet, the room that ended at the end of the stairs.

Ela and Yero sat up, the former pulling the sheet around her body.

"Delaney, what are you doing up? It's three in the morning."

Laney nodded.

"I.....I know."

"Then what's wrong, sweet pea? Is something bothering you?" Yero asked. Laney nodded.

"Yeah."

"What is it?" Ela asked, looking up as Yero got out of bed and pulled on his robe. He then guided his oldest onto the edge of the bed.

"Do....do you know that....there's a...._door_.....in your closet?" Laney asked, pointing to the closet. Ela and Yero shared amazed glances.

"We know. How do you know?" Ela asked.

Laney swallowed.

"There....there's a room at the end of the stairs. A little girl's room. It looks like it's from the early 1900s."

"Delaney,_ how_ do you know there's a room at the end of the stairs?" Her mother asked, joining her daughter on the edge of the bed.

"Because I......I opened it. And I went up the stairs." She replied, looking from her mother to her father. Her parents exchanged glances over the top of their daughter's head.

"You.....went up the stairs?" Ela asked finally. Laney nodded, then handed her mother the pages she'd printed out.

"I looked up old records on the Internet, and found a lot of articles about this house. A....apparently, this was an old Victorian house in the 1900s. A doctor had his practice downstairs, and he lived upstairs with his family. That room was his daughter's......she was eight. She died of scarlet fever in 1902. Her name was Cordelia. Cordelia Williams. But they called her Condie. And her cousin Charlotte died on the operating table in her uncle's office three weeks later. She was also eight."

As Laney talked, Ela and Yero rifled through the articles, reading the headlines and the obituaries.

"He closed his practice after his neice's death. And....and reports stated after the house was put up for sale that both Condie and Charlotte haunt the house. "

"That's ridiculous, Delaney." Ela replied, looking at one article.

"No it's not, Mama. When I was up there, something was there with me." She turned to her father. "You believe me, don't you Daddy?"

Yero looked up from the article he was reading.

"Who's this?"

The other two turned, to see Ela holding the photograph of the little girl.

"That's her. Condie." Laney said, as Ela dropped the other pages and looked at the photo. Then, she got up, going to the nightstand, and pulling open the drawer. She rummaged around for a moment, and then pulled something out, before joining her daughter and husband on the bed again.

"What is that, Mama?"

"It's a family portrait of my great-great-great-uncle's family. He was born in the South, but moved up to New York when he was a young man to make his fortune. He was a doctor, had his own.....practice here in Brooklyn. Had two children- a son and daughter. But....the daughter died when she was eight. Scarlet fever."

Ela looked from the photograph to the family portrait in her other hand. The girls looked alike.

"What was her name?"

Ela didn't reply, but instead, turned the portrait over, scanning the cursive names.

Finally, they landed on one name in particular, the one over the little girl.

Cordelia Eliana.

"Cordelia." Ela replied. "Cordelia Eliana."

Another quick scan, until she found the word under the girl's name.

"Nicknamed Condie."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Don't worry, there's a reason I put that in....**

**A/N: Ela is....certainly.....well....you decide what she's like......**

**Thanks to Elphaba1Fan, lizziemagic, and Elphiethegood for reviewing 19.**

That afternoon, before the Tony Awards, Ela sat at the dining room table, the articles spread out in front of her.

Yero placed a cup of tea at his wife's place, and sat across from her.

"All right, we're here, what's so important?" The younger couple looked up to see Dee and Taye, with Sky and Kevin behind them, Rachel in her father's arms. Neither said anything, Ela just shoved the article at Dee.

"What's this?"

"It's an article. About an ancestor of mine that died in this house when she was eight." Ela said, sipping her tea.

"So you have another relative, doesn't everyone want that?" Kevin asked. Sky looked at him, shaking her head. He set Rachel down, who ran off to play with the younger kids.

"What?" Sighing, Sky rolled her eyes and looked away; it took a moment, but Kevin finally got it. "Oh. Oh that."

Sky had told Kevin when they started dating about Ela and Yero's true past, and he'd quickly accepted the couple that she was so close to.

Ela looked up at them, and kicked out one of the chairs. "Sit."

Slowly, they sat next to the other couple, as Dee and Taye took Ela and Yero's other side.

"Now, what does this article have to do with you, Ela?" Dee asked, looking from the photo to her friend. Ela sighed.

"I don't know. I mean, when we came to New York.....our pasts were......Ozian. And....we.....told the kids.....that...."

"Your pasts were American, not Ozian." Dee finished. Ela nodded.

"Yeah."

"Wait, do the kids even _know_ you're from Oz?" Sky asked, sipping the tea Dee had gotten them.

"No. They don't. None of them." Yero said.

"Well," Dee started, taking the family portrait out of Ela's hands. "It looks like your _non-existant_ past has reared its head."

"Wait, Mom, you mean their pasts......_invented themselves_?" Sky asked, looking from her mother to her father. Dee nodded.

"It looks like it." Dee replied.

No one noticed Laney lurking behind the wall, listening to the conversation. Quickly, she raced silently back to her room, and pulled the chest from under her bed. She sank to her knees, and with shaking hands, reached out, opened the chest, and removed the articles from the top. Once it was cleaned out, her fingers brushed the false bottom and she lifted it, laying it aside. She reached down, lifting out articles and trinkets.

Gently, she shifted to a sitting position, and rifled through the articles.

_PRINCE FIYERO AND LADY GLINDA UPLAND ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCED_

_WICKED WITCH WANTED_

_WICKED WITCH OF THE EAST DEAD IN MUNCHKINLAND, KILLED BY MYSTERIOUS SAVIOR CHILD_

Laney's green eyes roamed from one headline to another, until she came to one that caught her interest.

_WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST LOOSE IN EMERALD CITY_

Wicked Witch?

It must have been some publicity for _Wicked_. She set the articles down, and rifled through the trinkets.

Scraps of cloth, bits of straw, a piece of tin. Broom bristles, and several pages filled with funny writing. She focused on one, only to find the words arranging and rearranging themselves before her eyes. Deciding to leave those alone, she moved on to the next item.

A cape. It was part of a cape.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps on the stairs caused her to absent-mindedly stuff everything back into the chest and under her bed. Without thinking, she reached for her purse, only to find it missing, so instead, hid the scrap of material in her bra, before getting up, putting her shoes on, and rummaging for her purse.

* * *

Ela held the back of her halter, and faced the mirror.

"Jason, could you--?"

She heard his footsteps, and felt his fingers work the hook and eye at her neck, and then his fingertips gently followed the vertebrea of her back, to the zipper beneath her breasts. When he was done, his hands slowly wound around her waist, and he pulled her to him, pressing his chest into her back.

Her long black hair hung down her back, loose.

"What do you think? Curls or up in a twist?" She asked, turning in his arms. He thought a moment, reaching up to play with a loose, wild, carefree curl. Gently, he laid the curl against her cheek, before leaning down to kiss the unruly black strand. Then, his lips traveled to her eyelids, her nose, the apple of her cheeks, her chin, the indent above her upper lip. Finally, his lips landed on hers, and they stayed, liplocked, their arms around each other.

Soon however, Ela pulled him towards the door, kicked it closed, locked it, and then jumped into his arms, her skirt bunching around her hips. Her thighs hugged her husband's waist, and she kissed him passionately, her tongue roaming her husband's mouth hungrily. When they finally broke apart, Ela stared into her husband's eyes.

"Take me, Jason."

"Makenzie."

"Please Jason. Take me." She whispered, pressing her forehead against his. _"Take me." _

Another passionate kiss, before he gently dropped her to her feet. Teeth clenched, Ela pulled her husband close, pressed her nose to his, and whispered,

_"Take me NOW!"_

In one swift move, Ela had moved her husband until he was away from the door, and in one good, hard, quick manuever, she had shoved him back onto the bed, and climbed up after him. Gathering her skirt, she settled with her legs hugging his waist; leaned down, running her hands along his arms, until their fingers laced. She pressed her nose against his, her dark eyes burning into his blue ones, and slowly, she spoke.

"I want to be taken. I want to be manipulated in ways no woman has before, I _want_ to feel you _inside me, completing me, filling me, making me whole_. And I will do whatever I _have_ to too experience that. Do you understand me, Jason? I'm your _wife_, and I _want my husband to make me a woman_."

"You _are_ a woman, Makenzie."

"_You know what I mean, Frederick!_ I want you, more_ now_ than ever before. Jason, please. Take. Me."

Silence reigned, and then she leaned down, gently, tenderly, fully, _violently_ pressing her lips against his. Slowly, his arms went around her waist, and her fingers worked on his shirt. Soon, he was shirtless, and Ela had climbed down from the bed. Yero sat up, watching as his wife gave him a teasing smile. She reached behind her, unhooked the halter of her dress, and then moved to the zipper. As she slowly unzipped her dress, her smile widened, the spark in her eyes bright. Soon, the dress fell in a heap of white silk and black satin.

She slipped out of her undergarments, and stood nude in front of him, the moonlight striking her skin, giving it a ghostly sheen. Her long, slender fingers roamed over her body, following the small trail of hair going from her navel downward. Then, her arms wrapped around her waist, before loosening and running up her sides and over her breasts quickly, before reaching up to tangle in her long hair. Taking a deep breath, she moved to the bed, and climbed on it, her nimble fingers working on his pants.

When they were both nude, she climbed into his lap, and cradled his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. They stared into each others' eyes, before sharing a passionate kiss, their hands roaming over soft skin. When they broke apart, Ela stared into her husband's eyes, her chest heaving with each breath.

"I love you, Jason."

Another kiss, before breaking. She pressed her forehead to his, and breathed softly,

"Take me, Frederick. I want you so bad....it feels like my ovaries are going to burst. I need you.... I have......to _feel_ you......inside me. I need....to feel you completing me. Please Jason. Make me whole. Make me feel. I want to move with you, I want to become one with you. Like we have before. Please." She sealed her plea with a kiss, forcing her tongue to twist with her husband's. "Make. Me. Whole."

Her soft order broke the silence, and he gave in, turning them so she lay beneath him, her legs wrapped around his waist. Costively, he ran his hand down her side, and over the meat of her thigh, gently digging his nails into her skin, pulling her closer to him, as their bodies moved as one, coming together.

"Oh Jason!"

* * *

Her fingers smoothed the silk tiers of her skirt, and she checked her makeup in the mirror.

Her long raven hair was up in a half-do- a semi-messy bun- with curled strands hanging out; they clung to the back of her neck, her ears, her cheeks, with one stubborn curl dangling in the middle of her forehead. A smirk playing on his lips, he reached around her, and gently took the end of the curl between his fingers, pulled until it straightened, and then let go, watching it BOING! back into place. She rolled her eyes, the smirk on her husband's face mirroring her own.

He chuckled, and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the crown of her head, careful not to crush the curls, bun, or the delicate diamond comb placed in her hair. She sighed, reaching down to take his hands. Their fingers laced, and he nonchalantly ran the ball of his thumb over her knuckles. They stayed quiet, before he let go, picked up his suit jacket, and watched his wife.

She pulled on her heels, and then grabbed her coat, turning back to him. Gradually, her eyes landed on the bed, the rumpled sheets and coverlet. The faint scent of sex still wafted in the air, mixing with her perfume. He went to her, tilted her chin up, and planted a gentle kiss on her lips before taking her hand and pulling her out of the room. Their laughter met the children, who waited downstairs.

* * *

Laney and the kids looked up, to see their mother and father hurry down the stairs.

"Oh Mama."

Spencer was right.

Mama did look beautiful.

She was dressed in a beautiful white tiered silk gown with a black sash tied in a bow in the front under her breast. It was a halter, that went to her ankles. Black heels resided on her feet, and she clutched a black structured satin clutch. Her make up was done in blacks and whites, the whole ensemble channeled Old Hollywood. Her long black hair was pulled up in a semi-messy bun, strands hanging out, loose and clinging to her skin. Laney noticed the flyaway curl hanging in the middle of her forehead. It looked beautiful against her mother's white skin.

"You look beautiful, Mama." Jason said, when their parents had joined them.

"Thank you Jason." Ela said, as her husband helped her into her coat. When she'd pulled it on, she knelt in front of her youngest, reaching out to gently run her fingers through her son's hair. Then, she gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, before standing and letting them leave the apartment. Laney gave her mother a small smile, before heading downstairs, the material tucked in her bra. She planned on confronting her parents after the awards tonight.

She didn't see her parents sharing a gentle kiss before following.

And _they_ didn't see the storm brewing on the New York horizon, or the destruction it would do.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Notice Ela's appetite? And they say men are sexual fiends.......**

**Question: Now is she goingto find out her parent's secret?!?!?!?!**

**Answer: soon, very soon.....after the awards.....**

**Question:** **Is she going to get to Oz like Dorothy did?**

**Answer: by tornado? no.....you'll find out......**

**Thanks to lizziemagic, Elphaba1Fan, and ghostly bender for reviewing 20.**

It was like the Oscars.

Fans lined the streets, as actors and actresses walked by, signing autographs and taking photographs. A few were being interviewed by news anchors. The Tony Awards were always like this, they were the Eastern equivelant of the Academy Awards.

Laney looked around, the flashing lights making her dizzy. Finally, she caught sight of Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye.

"Idina! Taye!"

She watched her mother and her aunt embrace, admired the beautiful petal color of her aunt's Back Crisscross Satin Gown, and the way it set off her eyes. She caught sight of Aunt Sho, who was dressed in a gold colored Embellished-Neck Gown, that contrasted nicely with her dark curls. Aria was hugging Stephie, who was dressed in a strappy gold colored satin gown. But of all the women there, her aunts included, Laney thought her mother outshined them all.

But beneath the glamour of the lights, lay defense. Everyone was on the defensive, competition or not, nomineed or no. Everyone was sizing up the competition, deciding who was the threat and who was harmless. Laney caught the sideways glance her mother threw Kirra, saw the tight smile her father gave Max, heard the fake laugh coming from Jana. This was part of the reason Laney was glad she wasn't acting on Broadway; the Tonys always turned the best of friends into the worst of enemies, pitted the casts on opposite ends of the playing field; it was high school, just......with adults in the teen roles.

Finally, everyone entered and took their seats and the ceremony began. Sighing, Laney settled back in her seat, anxious for the awards to start and finish so she could confront her parents. The opening music started, and soon, the nominees began. Laney focused only when her parents came on, singing part of _96,000_.

* * *

Applause sounded, before Aunt Dee started speaking.

"First performed in 2008, this off-beat musical set amid the crumbling buildings and mixed culture of Washington Heights in Manhattan, New York, Lin Manuel Miranda's _In the Heights _took the Tony Awards by storm, winning for composer, lyricist, and best musical. Well, here it is, thirty-three years later, the revival comes back to bring the off-beat culture of Washington Heights back to Broadway. And now, here they are, the revival cast of Lin Manuel Miranda's _In the Heights_."

Applause started, as everyone turned their attention to the main stage. The lights came up, revealing a cityscape. The music started, and the song began.....

The singing, dancing, and costumes, coupled with her parents' gorgeous voices, captured Laney's attention, and she sat enraptured.

Okay, that was it, she was getting a Musical Theater degree when got to college.

When the last note faded, and the applause sounded, Laney turned, to see everyone on their feet. After the clapping died down, and everyone sat, they went to the next nominee, and the next, and the next. The ceremony lasted long, finally, getting to the Best Actress in a Musical. Laney felt her mother slip her hand into hers, and squeeze gently. She gave her mother a small smile, as the nominees were announced.

"The nominees for best actress in the revival of a musical are: Desi Bowman, _Next to Normal_."

Applause sounded. When it died down,

"Kirra Lynn, _Kiss Me, Kate_."

More applause.

"Jazzie Hansen, _Spring Awakening_."

Applause.

"Tempe Brian, _Ragtime_."

Laney applauded politely, waiting for the last nominee to be announced.

"And Eliana Mackenzie, _In the Heights_."

She squeezed her mother's hand tightly.

On Broadway, her mother went by her first and middle name, Eliana Mackenzie. It was pretty. Like Neveah Emily, Ede's daughter. Or Avery Vanessa- Kristi's daughter. Although whenever Laney thought of Sky's friends, she thought of Madison Noelle- Maddie- her aunt Stephie's daughter, and Sky herself. Out of all the girls, Laney thought that Sky had the most unique name- Skyler Ophelia Diggs. Well, Skyler Ophelia _Jacks_, now, thanks to Kevin_. _

She didn't like to admit it, but Laney hated Kevin- for the simple fact that he had taken Sky away from her family and friends. Laney was selfish when it came to her friends and family; if it was someone exceedingly close to her- like Sky- then she felt threatened when the person changed or left. So when Sky had gotten married, Laney had refused to talk to the girl, and when she'd had Michael and later Rachel, Laney had ignored Sky, and even now felt slightly threatened by Sky's husband. It was more the fact that Sky wasn't a short subway ride away that got to Laney; instead of being on Manhattan Island, she lived in the Hollywood Hills.

"And the winner, for best actress in the revival of a musical is," Laney was snapped out of her musing, by the woman announcing the nominees. "Eliana Mackenzie, _In the Heights_."

Laney turned to her mother, to see her face broken out in a huge grin. Ela pulled Laney's siblings into her arms, kissed each of them, and then pulled her oldest into her arms. She kissed her daughter's cheek, before turning to her husband. Gently, she planted a firm kiss on his lips and stood, moving past to the aisle. Auntie Dee gave her a hug, and then Laney saw her mother move to the stage. She hugged Audrina, who had announced the nominees, and then, accepting the award, turned to the microphone.

"Oh my god. Thank you so much. Um.....honestly, I wasn't planning on accepting anything tonight. I was.....planning on coming tonight and performing, giving my all, hearing my name among the nominees. But.....this is the last thing I was expecting. Thank you, all so much. Um.....I've got so many I need to thank....starting with my director, Brad, you've been wonderful to work with, Lin, it's an honor to sing your songs and perform in your show....um.....Idina and Taye, you're best friends I could ever have, you helped me out so much....." She finally turned to her family. "And finally, I wanted to thank my beautiful husband, Frederick, thank you, you're the love of my life, my costar, I don't know what I'd do without you; and my gorgeous children, Jason, Spencer, Aria, and Delaney, I love you all. My darlings, I wouldn't be me without you in my life. I love you, all of you. Thank you for being mine. Thank you all, and god bless Broadway."

She left the stage, following Audrina. Soon, she settled back between her husband and daughter, wiping tears off her cheeks. Laney took her mother's hand, squeezing gently.

* * *

Later that night, after the ceremony ended and everyone returned home, Laney followed her parents and siblings into their apartment. Her father helped her mother out of her coat, before gently kissing her.

"Mama, could we fix some tea?" Aria asked.

"Sure sweetie." Aria nodded, racing off to the kitchen. The family settled down in the living room, talking softly. Laney sat in the armchair, fingering the material. Soon, they all headed up to bed, and Laney raced after her parents.

"Mama! Daddy!"

"What is it Delaney?" Her brothers and sister waited on the stairs, curious. The girl held the material out. Ela looked down at the black material in her daughter's hand. Slowly, she raised her eyes to her daughter's.

"Where----where did you get that?"


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: For the love of god, do they ever slow down?**

**Answer: Yes.... they do.....but when Ela wants something, she usually gets what she wants......**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 21.**

"Delaney, _answer me_. _Where did you get that_?"

Laney took a deep breath, before finally pulling herself to her full height- which wasn't much, 5'4"- and said,

"I found it. In.....that chest you and Daddy keep in your closet, under the loose floorboard."

Slowly, Ela came towards her daughter, taking the material from her fingers. She ran her thumb over the soft material, before raising her head slowly, her mouth open in an 'o' of surprise. A couple of deep breaths, and she shook her head quickly, to clear the buzzing in her ears.

"Frederick---I think I need to sit down. I feel faint."

She reached out for her husband, who took her hand, and gently guided his wife to the sofa, sitting her down gently before taking his place by her side. Once they were seated, Ela looked up at Laney, who stood on the other side of the coffee table. Aria and Jason had slipped past her and now shared the armchair, and Spencer was sitting in the other armchair, across from them.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?" Laney asked, taking on her mother's tone of voice. Yero's head snapped up, his eyes narowed.

"Don't you _dare_ take that tone with us, Delaney Kim." He warned.

She clamped her mouth shut, and turned, storming upstairs. After a few minutes, she returned, the chest in her hands. Once she reached the table, she lifted the lid, removed the articles and trinkets on the top of the false bottom, and then turned the chest upside down, dumping the other articles and trinkets onto the coffee table, some of the flyers fluttering to the floor.

"What is that?" Aria asked, leaning forward to read the caption on a flyer.

"This is all their lies and made up stories! Everything they've told us over the years turned out to be nothing but.....fabricated lies and fairy tales!" Laney said, turning her green eyes to her parents. "Aren't they?"

Ela had buried her face in her hands, but now, she looked up, running her fingers through her hair, pulling strands from her bun.

"Delaney, don't......please......" Tears glistened in her mother's eyes, and she turned her gaze from her daughter, taking deep, shuddering breaths to keep calm. Gently, Frederick took his wife's arm, squeezing gently.

"No. Tell us the truth Mama! We deserve to know what you've been hiding!" She set the chest on the floor and grabbed one of the newspaper clippings. Her eyes scanned the words, before she looked at her parents.

"Oz? What is this from the Wizard of Oz?" She grabbed another article.

"PRINCE FIYERO AND LADY GLINDA UPLAND ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCED. Who the _fuck_ is Lady Glinda? And who's Prince Fiyero? And why the hell was he engaged to her?"

Aria picked up one of the articles.

"Maybe they're publicity for _Wicked_."

"If they were publicity, they'd be with the rest of the publicity articles at the top of the chest." Laney said, glaring at her sister.

"Delaney-"

"And who was the 'Wicked Witch of the West'?" She dropped the article, turning her eyes back to her parents. "What the hell is this? Some sick game you like to play?"

Ela, who had been chewing on her knuckles during her daughter's schpeal, removed her knuckles from her mouth and looked up at her daughter.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

"I don't understand? I understand that you're both sick!" Laney screamed. On impulse, Ela got to her feet, her bun falling down around her shoulders. Tears coursed down her cheeks, and her chest heaved.

"It's not like that! If you'll just listen--"

"Why should I? You're nothing but sick, disgusting perverts! I can't believe I'm _actually_ your daughter---"

Laney didn't say anymore.

In one quick, lightening motion, Ela had moved around the coffee table, and smacked her daughter hard. Laney cupped her cheek, shocked that her mother would actually hit her. Mama never hit her children, neither Mama nor Daddy did. The fact that she actually broke her own rule, sent Laney reeling. She stared at her mother with wide, green eyes. Ela was breathing hard, shaking violently.

"How _dare_ you! _You don't know anything about Daddy and I before you came along! You don't know a thing about what our lives were like before you were born! You don't know anything! Nothing! We risked our lives to have you! We sacrificed everything to be together, and nearly lost each other in the process! So how dare you say you understand! You don't understand anything!" _

By now, Yero had come up behind his wife, and pulled her into his arms. However, she violently broke free, shoved past her daughter, and rushed upstairs. Everyone winced, at the sound of their parents' door slamming. Slowly, Laney turned her eyes to her father's face. He glared at her.

"You have _no idea_ what you've _just done_, Delaney Kim." And with that, he passed by her, hurrying upstairs to check on his wife. They heard their father's voice, followed by their mother's heartwrenching sobs, and finally, the door closing to the bedroom.

Slowly, Laney turned to her siblings. The other three sat stunned. Finally, Spencer spoke up.

"I've never seen Mama cry like that."

Aria set one of the articles down.

"You really did it this time Laney."

For once, Delaney didn't disagree.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: I wonder what'll happen next?**

**Answer: You'll see**

**Thanks to ghostly bender, lizziemagic, Elphaba1Fan, and SoConfusified for reviewing 22.**

None of the children wanted to go upstairs. They had to pass by their parents' room, walk by the closed door; the last thing any of them wanted to do was hear their mother's sobs through the oak.

After a moment, Jason turned to Laney.

"Why is Mama crying? I don't understand."

Aria sighed, and pulled Jason closer; the younger boy snuggled into his older sister.

"Laney said some things that really hurt Mama." She met her older sister's eyes. "_Right _Laney?"

The older girl didn't reply. As usual, she'd screwed up, but this time, there was no taking her words back.

No forgiving and forgetting.

No ignoring what was now out in the open.

Laney sighed and crumpled to the floor, burying her face in her hands.

Aria was right.

She'd screwed up.

Big time.

* * *

The door closed with a soft click.

His eyes landed on his wife, laying broken on the bed, her face buried in the coverlet, sobs wracking her delicate shoulders. Silently, he moved to the other side of the bed, and sat down next to her. She didn't notice him, or if she did, ignored him. Sighing, he reached out, and rubbed her back; she pulled away.

"Ela--my love."

Her sobs quieted slightly, and she spoke softly.

"I'm sorry."

"For what love?"

"We never should have come here. It was my mistake. We never should have created this life. It.....it was my fault, and I'm sorry Frederick. I just....I wanted a marriage and a family so badly......I....I'm sorry Jason. I'm sorry I forced us to stay here, I'm sorry I forced us to have a family, _I'm sorry I forced you into this marriage._..." She dissolved into sobs again, her fingers grabbing fistfuls of the coverlet.

"It's _not_ your fault, Ela. You didn't force us into anything. And you didn't force me into this marriage. I married you because I love you. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you; start a family with you. I love you, so I married you, started a family with you, a life with you. It's not your fault."

Seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere, he lay next to her, spooning gently against her, resting his cheek against her hair. Gently, he kissed her ear, and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. Ela reached down, gently laying her hand over his, before digging her nails into his skin. Then, she beat against his hands, before pulling away, beating the blankets.

Silent, Jason pulled away, and helped his wife sit up.

"Ela--"

_"Get away from me!"_ She shoved him hard, until the two were standing on the floor. He took her arms, held her tenderly.

_"Don't touch me! You bastard! Son of a bitch! I hate you! You selfish jackass! Son of a bitch!"_ She wrenched away, beat against his chest, screams coming from her already sore throat. Tears rushed down her cheeks, and her body shook violently, her fists beating against him, in the hope that damage would be done. After a few minutes, Jason pulled her to him, held her firmly against him, as she fought and struggled to get loose.

_"Let go! I hate you! I.....hate....you...."_ She pounded against his chest once more, before dissolving into violent, rapid sobs. Her hand grabbed a fistful of his shirt, and she buried her face in his chest, eyes squeezed shut tight. Jason held her, silent, running his fingers through her now loose curls, the diamond comb hanging limp in knotted black strands. Her mascara left black brookes down the apples of her cheeks, and her eyes and nose were red from crying.

Tenderly, he kissed the crown of her head, not saying anything, just holding his wife close. His fingers tangled in her raven hair, and he pulled her closer, until their bodies were flush against each other, except for their clothes. Ela burrowed closer, pressing her face into his shirt, shoulders shaking.

* * *

Spencer crept back downstairs.

He'd gone upstairs, listened at the door. He was ashen, shaking, tears in his eyes when he returned to his siblings. The other three looked at him, waiting.

"Mama's really upset. It... sounded like she was arguing with Daddy....hitting him. All I heard was crying. Laney, you _really_ hurt Mama. She's really, really upset."

"Is Mama going to leave Daddy?" Fear coated Jason's voice, and Aria shook her head.

"No, Jason, Mama's not going to leave Daddy."

Laney sniffled, wiping tears off her cheeks. Spencer turned, looking back up the stairs.

Despite herself, Laney found herself watching the stairs also. She didn't hear Ari get up and go to the phone; she heard Ari speak into the mouthpiece.

"Hello, Auntie Dee? Oh, sorry Uncle Taye.....Um....wo.....would you and Auntie Dee come over? It's important......yeah.....please, Uncle Taye......please......okay......see you soon...."

She hung up the phone, and returned to the living room. After a moment, Laney spoke up.

"Why did you do that?"

Her voice was monotone, void of all emotion. She hugged her knees to her chest.

"Because they need to be here."

"No they don't."

"Yes they do."

"_No they don't_."

"Yes they do."

Slowly, Laney looked at her sister.

"Why?"

Ari's answer was simple.

"For Mama's sake."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: The truth comes out.....**

**Thanks to Elphaba1Fan, witch-of-the-west9482, and lizziemagic for reviewing 23.**

The kids gathered around the dining room table, silent.

They'd all snuck upstairs, and changed into their pajamas. Laney sipped her cup of tea, tears drying on her cheeks. They all looked up when a knock sounded on the door. Quickly, Ari got up, going to the door.

Dee, Taye, Sky, and Kevin waited in the doorway.

"All right, Ari, what's-"

"Aria, who's at--"

Ari looked up, to see her parents standing on the bottom of the stairs, both dressed in sweats and warm-ups. Ela stopped, eyes landing on Dee.

"What's going on? Aria?" Dee turned back to her niece.

"Come in Auntie Dee." She moved away from the door, allowing the others to come in.

"What are you doing here?" Ela asked, sniffling. Dee met her friend's eyes, saw the tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Ari called. Said she wanted us to come over and talk." Ela nodded, silent. When they reached the end of the stairs, her husband took her hand, leading her into the kitchen. He poured six cups of coffee, handing one to the others each, before placing one gently in his wife's shaking hands. Then, he guided her gently to the dining room table.

"Now, what's---"

"What the hell happened here? It looks like an earthquake hit the coffee table and left the rest of the room alone." Everyone turned, to see Sky surveying the living room floor, where the contents of the chest still rested on the table. Finally, Sky joined the others, to see Ela and Yero sitting further down the table, Yero gently conversing with his wife, tenderly wiping the tears off her cheeks.

"What's going on?" Sky asked, slowly sinking into the chair across from her mother.

"That's what we'd like to know." Dee said. Ela leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. She watched her oldest, before turning to her friend.

"They found out, Idina." She said, voice thick with tears. Dee's brow furrowed.

"Who found out what?"

Ela pushed her chair away from the table, grabbed her semi-full cup, and stormed into the kitchen. She poured the coffee down the sink, and leaned against the counter, sobbing.

_"The kids! They found out! About our past! About Oz, Dee!" _Ela cried, dropping the mug. It shattered on impact at her bare feet. Sobbing, Ela knelt to pick up the pieces, as her husband joined her, helping. When she began to shake, he helped her to her feet, taking her to the counter, and cleaning her hands where the pieces had cut her. Kevin and Taye moved to clean up the broken cup, while Dee went to her friend, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Sky looked from Jason to Aria to Spencer, before making eye contact with Laney. She shook her head, suspicion sparking in her dark eyes as she watched her god sister.

"I should have known this had your name all over it."

Laney winced at the bite in Sky's voice. When everything had seemed to calm down, the adults came back to the table.

"Now, _what happened_?" Dee asked, looking from the kids to their parents.

Taking a shaky breath, Ela started.

"Delaney.....Delaney found the chest. The one we......the one we placed everything from Oz in."

"I remember it. We found it in the back of one of the closets and let you have it, not long after you got to New York." Taye said. Laney's head snapped up.

"But Mama said that they bought the chest at a little shop in New Orleans."

Ela lowered her eyes to the table, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Delaney please.....don't do this...."

"You lied.....Is anything you told us the truth?"

"Delaney please...."

"Is it? Or did you lie about everything? Is your marriage even legal?" Laney demanded, leaning towards her parents.

"Of course it's legal." She jumped at the tone in her father's voice. _"You wouldn't be here if it weren't." _

A scoff escaped her lips.

"Am I even really your daughter? Or are we all adopted? Are you really our parents?"

"Delaney!" She ignored Idina.

"We could just be urchins you adopted off the street for all we know!"

_"You're our children! I know because I birthed you! All four of you! Daddy and I created each of you! I carried you all to term, I gave birth to you, I held each of you after you were born! You all nursed on my milk the first year of your lives! Of course you're our children! You have our DNA running in your veins, our chromosomes in your cells! You're ours! All four of you are ours! How dare you even suggest something other than the truth, Delaney!" _Ela cried, getting up and going to her oldest daughter. Laney faced her mother, saw the same spark evident in her eyes.

"The truth? _You don't even know what the truth is_!" She screamed, taking a step forward, causing her mother to move back a step and bump against the table.

"Yes I do. And I know that it can get_ twisted and warped until you don't what it is anymore_! Until you have_ a whole country _out for your blood on the flagstones and your head on a silver platter! I know what it's like to have to hide during the day and run at night because otherwise you'd get caught and killed! I know what it's like to have_ your best friend_ turn against you because she's gotten a taste of power! I know what it's like to kill your one true love when you have no one else that would help you! I know what it's like to be a fugitive, to get to a strange city and know no one! You don't know what it's like to have to reinvent yourself and forget your past!_ You don't know what any of that is like_!"

It was then that Laney lost her temper.

"I hate you!" She screamed. In one swift motion, she hit her mother hard. A gasp escaped Ela's mouth, and she met her daughter's eyes, hand to her cheek.

"Delaney!"

She glared at her mother.

"Bitch!"

Then, she shoved roughly past her mother, storming to the stairs.

"Go to hell, you bitch!" Laney's outburst was punctuated by her bedroom door slamming.

Choking out a sob, Ela turned her attention from the stairs back to where her daughter had stood, and promptly broke down sobbing.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to witch-of-the-west9482, lizziemagic, and SoConfusified for reviewing 24.**

"Oh Ela!"

Dee hurried to her friend, but Ela moved away from her. Jason rushed to his wife's side, and gathered her in his arms, gently rocking her back and forth, whispering softly into her hair as he stroked her ebony locks.

"Shh. Hush Eliana. It's okay. It's okay." Ela sobbed harder, burying her face in her husband's chest, her fingers curling around the sleeve of his sweatshirt. Idina turned to Taye, who moved to his wife, taking her hand firmly.

"Kids, go upstairs." Silently, the remaining three children slid out of their chairs and upstairs, heading to their rooms. However, they hid on the stairs, listening to their parents. Once the children were gone, Idina turned back to Frederick and Eliana.

"What happened?"

Frederick looked at her, before pulling one of the empty chairs out and sitting down, pulling his wife onto his lap. She burrowed into his body, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck. He rubbed her back tenderly, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Delaney found the chest." He told them, returning his attention to his wife, pulling her closer. Glancing at her husband, daugther, and son-in-law, Idina sat next to her friends, reached out and rubbed Ela's back.

"And?"

"And.....she found a scrap of Ela's cape, hid it, and confronted us with it when we got home. Then, she raced upstairs, brought the chest down, and dumped everything out on the table." He said, meeting Idina's eyes.

Eliana sniffled, and turned her head, looking up at her friends. Tears swam in her eyes and coursed down her cheeks. She reached up and wiped her nose on the back of her hand, taking a shuddering breath.

"Everything?"

Ela nodded. She shifted on her husband's lap, looking down at her lap, before nodding quickly. She turned her dark eyes to Idina and Taye, blinking, allowing fresh tears to course down her cheeks. The pink of her tongue darted out to lick her lips, and she took a shuddering, deep breath, her lower lip quivering slightly. Idina sighed, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against her knuckles.

"What happened after that?" Sky asked, leaning towards her friends. Eliana turned to look at Sky.

"She....she accused us of lying, and when I lost my temper and hit her." She broke down. "I never meant to hit her....." Dissolving into sobs again, she snuggled back into her husband's embrace.

"And then....well, you know what happened after that." Frederick said, nodding to the stairs. Idina nodded.

"How could she do that?"

Everyone except Eliana looked up at Sky. Taye shrugged. They sat in silence, trying to figure out what to do next, the only sound being Elphaba's heart wrenching sobs.

"Shh, Mackenzie, shh. It'll be okay." Idina watched Jason stroke his wife's hair, heard his soft whisper. Reaching out, she rubbed the girl's back, meeting Jason's eyes. After a moment, he returned to his wife.

"Mackenzie, my love, hush. You're gonna make yourself sick."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

Ela slid under the covers around three a.m. that morning.

Taye had finally decided that she and Jason needed to go to bed, and headed home, allowing the young couple to get some sleep.

She gasped, feeling Jason's arms wrap around her waist, and she turned, meeting his eyes. His fingers tenderly brushed the tears from her cheeks, and then he laid a kiss on her forehead, pulling her to him.

"Eliana, my love--"

She dissolved into sobs, burying her face in his shirt.

"Frederick."

Her heartwrenching sob brought tears to his eyes.

* * *

Laney paced back and forth.

They'd lied to her. They'd _lied_ to her.

Everything she'd ever known had been a lie, a fabrication, an elaborate fairytale her parents had weaved for her. Her whole life was a lie.

She lost her temper. Everything in sight, she either kicked or ripped to shreds. When every last visible article was in dire need of reconstructive surgery, she threw herself on her bed, buried her face in her pillow, and screamed.

* * *

Jason raised his head to the ceiling, hearing the scream coming from his oldest daughter's room.

He sighed, returning his attention to his wife.

Eliana now lay deeply asleep in his arms, her head nestled in his chest, her body as close as she could get to his. Her slender fingers had latched onto the buttons of his pajama top, and she snuggled closer every time he moved. Every time he shifted, she moved closer; her legs tangled with his, she'd trapped his lower leg between hers, her ankle wrapping around his. A sigh escaped her lips, and she moved closer, subconsiously pressing her hips against his. Another sigh escaped her lips, and she snuggled closer, burrowing her head further into his chest, her face disappearing into his pajama top.

Gently, he stroked her hair, content that she'd finally fallen to sleep but unable to sleep himself.

* * *

Laney raised her head, listening to see if she'd woken anyone else in the apartment.

When she realized it was silent, she got up, and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Then, she grabbed her tote bag, her dance bag, and a few extra sets of clothes, a pair of sandals, heels, and tennis shoes, before grabbing a hat and a few other things. The last thing she grabbed was her Almond Roca can, that held all the money she'd collected over the years- from scrounging around the house, to asking for her parents' loose change. She'd gone to Borders three weeks earlier, and exchanged it, making it all bills instead of change. Finally, she grabbed a pad and pen, and started writing.

Once done, she tore the paper off the pad, set it on her desk, placed the pen and pad in her tote, grabbed her things, and crept down the stairs.

It was silent; her brothers and sister were asleep, and most likely her parents. Just as a precaution, she listened at their door, hearing silence on the other side, and softly pushed the door open.

Her parents were sound asleep in each others' arms, her mother burrowed deep in her father's arms. She shook her head, and left.

* * *

Her reflection gazed back at her.

She'd gone back upstairs to get a scarf, coat, and hat in case it got cold whereever she was going.

That was the problem, she didn't know where she was going.

"I don't have anywhere to go."

She looked around her room, her eyes landing on the_ Wicked_ poster on her wall. Then, she turned back to the mirror, her fingers finding the angel wing necklace hanging around her neck.

The necklace Mama and Daddy had given her for her birthday.

_"Angel wings?"_

_"So you can defy gravity, my sweet."_

Tears came to her eyes, and she blinked them away.

_"I love you, Mama."_

_"I love you too, Delaney. Happy birthday."_

She didn't realize that the was rubbing the wings, and only noticed when the glass began to swirl in front of her, solid turned to liquid. Taking a deep breath, she looked around.

"Anywhere's got to be better than here." She whispered, grabbing her bags.

Then, taking a deep breath, she stepped into the mirror.

* * *

It felt like pinpricks all over her body.

Wind swirled around her, and light rushed towards her, blinding the girl.

She let out a scream, before everything went black.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: Did she just go through the mirror? Was the necklace magic or something?**

**Answer: yes, she went through the mirror. As for the necklace, you'll find out.....**

**Question: DID SHE DO THAT HERSELF?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? OR IS THERE A MORE...WICKED... FORCE AT WORK?!?!?!?**

**Answer: You'll see....**

**Thanks to Elphiethegood, lizziemagic, SoConfusified, and ghostly bender for reviewing 26.**

The smell of coffee wafted through the apartment.

"Morning Daddy."

Frederick looked up, to see Aria come into the kitchen.

"Morning Aria."

He went back to fixing the coffee, until he felt a pair of small arms around his waist. He looked down, to see Aria snuggled against him, her dark hair falling out of her pigtails. She looked up at him, her dark eyes meeting his.

She had Eliana's eyes.

Tenderly, he ran his fingers through her hair, as she snuggled close. She was like her mother; she got as close as she could, and then snuggled closer. Whenever she got upset or scared, Ari climbed into her father's lap and buried her face in his shirt, clinging to him; the feel of his strong, protective arms around her, keeping whatever was scaring or upsetting her away, was a security blanket for his youngest daughter. She could go to Ela just as easily as she could go to Jason, but she preferred her father for protection; she usually went to her mother whenever she and Delaney got into an arguement or a fight.

Even though three years separated the girls, most of their family and friends often joked that it was thirty years instead of three. There were times however, when the girls got along, a great relief to their parents, who hated playing the phones between the girls. They loved each other whole heartedly, however, and the girls actually tried to get along for their brother's and parent's sakes.

"I love you, Daddy."

He caught the small smile tugging at the edges of her lips, and he smiled in return.

"I love you too, sugar cookie."

She broke into a grin, and snuggled closer.

The girls each had sweet pet names that the family called them. Usually, the went by either Laney or Ari; Sky called Delaney 'Lanes', and Aria 'Ria'; Taye always called Jason and Eliana's oldest 'Eydena'- a play on his wife's name. Idina didn't usually use pet names, preferring their usual nicknames. As for their parents, well, Ela usually referred to Delaney as either 'baby', 'sissy', or 'peanut butter'-because Laney's favorite cookies were peanut butter. As for Ari, well, Eliana called her youngest daughter 'gingersnap'. Their father referred to Laney as 'sweet pea'- had since she was born, and he called Ari 'sugar cookie', because when she was a baby, she'd made a mess of the sugar one Christmas while her mother was baking. The nickname had stuck.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry. About Laney." He sighed, pulling away from his youngest daughter and pouring a cup of coffee. Aria hopped onto the counter, watching her father.

"It's not your fault, sugar cookie. Mama and I should have seen this coming. But, we got so wrapped up in....life....that...we didn't even think about what would happen if you found out." Gently, he reached out, rubbing the ball of his thumb against his daughter's cheek. She gave him a smile.

"Wrapped up in life?"

He nodded, chuckling. She was so much like Eliana.

"Marriage, our careers, our family."

"So you and Mama were busy having babies?"

"Since you want to put it so bluntly,_ yes_, we were busy having babies. Beautiful babies with....long ebony hair and dark eyes, tan skin and freckles. We had four _beautiful_ children." He whispered, pressing his forehead against his youngest daughter's. She giggled, her eyes closing on instinct as her father kissed her forehead. When she opened them, he had his back to her, fixing breakfast.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you know Mama was the one?"

Frederick stopped mixing the pancake batter, and thought a moment, before picking up the bowl and taking it to the counter. Aria reached out for it, and he gave it to her, allowing her to mix it.

"I guess.....I knew she was the one when I laid eyes on her that first day of class. She was beautiful. And....I felt complete when I was with her, and.....I decided to marry her and create a family with her."

"Do...." Ari looked down at the pancake batter in the bowl. "Do you still love us? After what happened last night?"

Tears glistened in her dark eyes, and she reminded him of his wife; of the beautiful woman still snuggled in the sheets in their room upstairs, sound asleep. It had taken Frederick four hours to get Eliana to calm down enough so he could talk to her, and another three to get her calm enough so she could sleep; and even then, sleep didn't come for his wife. She was so distraught, it made her physically sick; they spent thirty minutes in the bathroom, Frederick holding her hair back from her face as she vomitted into the toilet. When he'd taken her back to bed, he'd wrapped her in his arms before pulling the comforter tight around her, trying hard to stop the shaking that ravaged her small body. She'd spent the next two hours apologizing between sobs as she curled into his embrace. Finally, her eyes had closed; she'd sobbed herself to sleep.

"How could Mama and I not love you? You're our children. Despite what happened last night, it doesn't change the fact that you have my and Mama's DNA in your veins. All of you. We love you. No matter what."

Gently, he wiped the tears off his daughter's cheeks, and kissed her forehead. She threw her arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Daddy. I'm sorry."

He rubbed her back, and kissed her hair.

"It's okay sugar cookie. It's okay."

* * *

Eliana rolled over, her hand reaching out to grasp her husband's arm.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, to see her husband's side of the bed cold. Sitting up, she searched the room quickly, before climbing out of bed and pulling on her robe. She put her contacts in, and left, making sure the children were up.

"Aria?" Her daughter's bed was made and she was no where to be seen. Quiet, she headed down the hall to Spencer's.

"Come in."

Eliana poked her head in, to see her oldest son sitting on the bed, reading.

"Spencer?"

He looked up, his blue eyes landing on his mother, standing in the doorway, in her robe and nightgown. Her black hair tumbled down her back in knots, and she looked like she'd been crying.

"What is it, Mama?" He set the book aside, worried.

"N....nothing. I was just....thinking." After a moment, "Sp....Spencer...I....I'm sorry."

Quietly, he got up, and went to her, putting his arms around her waist. He rested his head gently against her chest, and squeezed her waist, before looking up at her.

"It's okay Mama." He whispered, giving her a small smile as she reached up, stroking his sandy hair, back from his forehead. His blue eyes winked at her, and she swallowed, seeing her husband in her son.

"No it's not." She replied just as softly, resting her chin against the crown of his head, her eyes closed, sniffling. They stayed like that for a ten minutes, before Eliana pulled away. She leaned down, cupping her son's face in her hands. Tears welled in her eyes, and she sniffled.

"I'm sorry. Daddy and I never meant to hurt you. We love you, dearly."

"I know Mama."

She mustered a smile, and gently brushed his hair off his forehead, before pressing her lips to his forehead and straightening. With a smile, she left to check on Jason.

* * *

"Jason? Baby, get up, breakfast is ready."

She knocked again, and when no reply came, she pushed the door open, and slipped inside.

Her youngest son was curled up under the blanket, only his sandy hair visible. She watched him silently for a few minutes, before going to the bed and kneeling next to it. Gently, she reached out, and stroked his messy locks.

"Jason. Baby. Time to get up, baby boy. Breakfast is ready."

He stretched, and opened his eyes; Eliana found herself staring into her own eyes.

"Hi Mama."

"Hey baby. Get up okay? Daddy's got breakfast waiting." He nodded, and stretched. "Okay?"

"Okay."

She gave him a gentle smile.

"Okay. I'll see you down there." She placed a tender kiss on her son's forehead, before getting up and leaving, closing the door softly behind her. Then, she sighed, and turned, heading up to Delaney's room.

* * *

Aria and Frederick looked up to see Spencer and Jason enter the kitchen.

"Hey boys."

"Hi Daddy."

Spencer started to set the table, as Jason went to his father and hugged him.

"Mama waking Laney?" Spencer and Jason nodded.

They set the table in silence, until a scream pierced the air.

* * *

"Delaney? It's Mama. Time to get up, baby girl. Breakfast is ready."

She waited a few minutes, before pushing the door open.

"Look, baby, we both said things last night that were hurtful, and---Delaney?"

She looked around, seeing no sign of her daughter.

"Delaney."

Taking a hesitant step into the room, she checked the closet and bathroom, before her eyes landed on her daughter's desk. She moved closer, her eyes landing on the note resting on the desk top. She read it slowly, before it dawned on her what had happened. Stumbling back, she did the only thing she could think of.

She screamed.

* * *

The scream brought the rest of her family hurrying to Laney's room.

"Ela! Eliana, what is it? What's wrong?"

She turned, to see Frederick rushing towards her. Letting out a sob, she hurried to him, throwing her arms around his neck, and burying her face in his chest. After a few minutes, he pulled away from her looking into her eyes.

"Eliana _you have to calm down_. Now what happened?"

In a voice choked with tears, she replied,

"Delaney's gone........she's run away."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

_"Delaney's gone.....she's run away."_

It took him several minutes for his wife's words to sink in, but when they did, he shook her sternly, his mind focusing on those five words.

"What do you mean she's run away?"

Ela pointed back to the note on the desk, sobbing. Gently, he let go of her, and went to the desk, picking the note up. His eyes scanned it quickly. Then, he turned back to his wife.

"Spencer, go call Aunt Idina and Uncle Taye."

"Why Daddy?"

"Just do it!"

Spencer fled, hurrying downstairs to call his aunt and uncle. Slowly, his father sank onto Laney's bed, reading the note again. When he finished reading it, he sighed, closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair. Quietly, Ela sat next to him, and hesitantly placed a hand on his arm. He looked up at her, before covering her hand with his, rubbing the ball of his thumb over her knuckles. Sniffling, Ela rested her head on his shoulder, and he gently squeezed her hand, placing a gentle kiss on her head as well.

* * *

"Spencer said something happened to Delaney." Frederick looked up from taking care of Ela, to see Idina and Taye enter the dining room. Sky and Kevin were behind them.

"Delaney ran away."

"What?" Idina slowly took a seat in one of the chairs across from them. Frederick slid the note over to her, and she, Taye, Sky, Kevin, and the kids read it silently.

_Mama and Daddy,_

_I don't know if I can ever trust you again, after what you did. __You kept this secret from us for years, making up these elaborate pasts so we wouldn't suspect anything. I never thought I'd be so ashamed to be your daughter. I trusted you, loved you, and now.....I don't know if I can anymore. Your lives would be so much better if I wasn't around, so I'm doing just that- leaving. I don't regret anything I said last night, and I never will. _

_I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you. _

_-Delaney_

Ela buried her face in her husband's chest, her shoulders beginning to shake. Idina looked up at Taye, tears in her eyes.

* * *

She slowly came to.

Finally opening her eyes, she looked around, not moving. Then, slowly, she sat up, her head sore and every part of her body screaming in pain. She looked around, before climbing unsteadily to her feet, and gathering her things. She moved down the street, trying to figure out where she was. The sound of footsteps behind her caused her to race off into the nearest shelter--the woods.

* * *

They conducted a thorough search, each time coming up empty handed.

So it was around ten that night that Eliana slowly sank to her daughter's bed, the pink bunny Stephie's daughter Maddie had given her when she was pregnant with Laney, in her arms. Tears blurred her vision, as she gently ran her fingers along the bunny's ears, down its nose, and across the little, light pink bow at its neck.

_"Maddie helped pick it out. She's adamant that you're going to have a girl. So she decided on a pink bunny. I kept telling her that you might just have a boy, but she wouldn't hear it."_

Tears coursed quickly down her cheeks, blurring her vision of the bunny further.

_"It's a girl!"_

_"A girl? Oh god, Yero, we have a daughter!"_

Memories of Laney's birth flashed before her eyes, and she took a shaky breath.

_"She's beautiful."_

_"Delaney Kim Tipton."_

Letting out a cry, she dissolved in tears, clutching the bunny to her chest.

"Oh Eliana." Frederick's arms wrapped tightly around her, and she clung to him, sobbing. "Hush, my love. Hush."

_"I want my baby back!"_

She hid behind a tree until the person passed, and let out the breath she was holding.

Slowly, she turned, only to come face-to-face with a lion.

It roared.

* * *

Idina watched Frederick carry his wife down to their bedroom.

Eliana had broken down, and both Taye and Frederick thought it would be better if she got some rest. However, when he went to take the bunny away, Ela had lost it, screaming that it was her daughter's, and that she refused to give it up until she got her daughter back. Her husband had complied, scooping her into his arms and taking her downstairs.

"What now?"

Taye looked up from the note.

"I think I figured out where Laney went."

"Where?"

"Oz."

* * *

His fingers gently brushed the hair from her forehead, as she slept soundly in his arms.

He'd finally gotten her to calm down, and had softly sung her to sleep, the lullaby that always put Laney to sleep worked on his wife as well. The door opened with a soft click, and he looked up, Dee and the others in the doorway.

"Jason? We think we know where Laney went."

"Come on in." He whispered, turning back to his wife. "Mackenzie. Mackenzie, my love, wake up."

Slowly, her brown eyes opened, and she looked into her husband's blue eyes.

"Jason?" Her voice was hoarse from her sobbing, and she sat up slowly. "What's going on?"

He pulled her into his arms, and gently brushed her hair away from her face. Gently, he looked into her eyes, whispering,

"Dee and Taye think they know where Delaney went." Her eyes lit up, and she sniffled, before looking from her husband to her friends.

"Really? Where?"

Dee looked at her husband, and bit her lip. Then, she turned back to her friend, not wanting to crush her spirits.

* * *

Forgetting about being quiet, Laney let out a scream, and raced further into the woods, the lion trailing her.

* * *

She took a deep breath, and sat on the edge of the bed, never breaking eye contact with Ela.

"We...we think...."

"Spit it out, Dee! If it has something to do with my baby, say it!" Ela cried, leaning forward.

"We think she went to....."

_"To?"_

Dee looked away, before looking back at her.

"Oz."

* * *

She could live through this.

If she just got rid of the lion.

* * *

"What?"

Eliana pulled away from her friend, and looked back at her husband.

"Jason......" She took a shaky breath. "Jason, _please_, tell me she didn't say it. _Please, tell me she didn't say_......_Oz_."

He met her eyes, and pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back. His silence was all Ela needed, before she broke down.

"_No! Please, no! No_!"

Silent, Dee wiped the tears off her cheeks, heartbroken that she had to shatter her friends' reality.

* * *


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: And is he the... COWARDLY lion? Are Elphaba and Fiyero going to go back to save her?**

**Answer: you'll see....**

**Thanks to lizziemagic and Elphiethegood for reviewing 28.**

She could survive this. She could.

She was a _Tipton_, for crying out loud.

Her parents had gone through a lot, and they'd survived.

So could she.

After all, she _was _the daughter of two of Broadway's most _successful_ performers since Ethel Merman and Jerry Orbach--well, besides Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye.

She could survive this. She could.

Her foot caught on a root, and she fell. As the wind rushed back into her lungs, she sat up, and turned, letting out a scream.

Okay, so maybe she _couldn't_ survive this.

But she was still a Tipton, and they survived anything.......

...Except lion attacks.

* * *

The next morning, Ela looked up from her cup of tea to see Dee enter.

They'd stayed the night, making sure Ela and the kids were okay.

"What do we do?" She whispered, once Dee had sat down across from her. Sighing, Dee reached out, taking her friend's hand in hers.

"I don't know."

Ela looked up, seeing her husband and Taye come into the kitchen.

"Where are the children?" She asked, reaching up for his hand; he took it, brushing his lips over her knuckles before placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Still asleep." He replied, going into the kitchen and pouring himself a cup of coffee. He soon joined the others at the table.

* * *

It came closer.

Okay, so she was a _dead _Tipton.

She let out another scream as it pounced......

"Put 'em up! Put 'em up! You coward!"

Slowly, Laney looked up, to see the lion standing on its hind legs, its front paws up like fists.

"Well? You just gonna sit there? Come on! Fight me like a man, you coward!"

Without warning, she fainted.

* * *

"We have to go get her."

"No."

"Ela--"

"I SAID NO!"

They were in the living room, trying to figure out how to get Laney back. Eliana paced back and forth in front of the coffee table, chewing on her nails and every so often breaking down into sobs.

"Well we have to do _something_ Ela, we can't just let her run around Oz alone. She could be hurt, or lost, or kidnapped by the Wizard--"

"By the time we left, Glinda was all ready in power." Frederick said, reaching out to grab his wife's hand as she passed by him.

"That bitch!" Ela's voice bit hard at the mention of her former best friend. So, nearly twenty years after that encounter in the park, Ela was still sore. She'd never forgive Glinda for keeping the fact that her father was the Wizard from her.

"Ela. Come here." She ignored her husband, continuing her pacing.

"Oz?" Everyone but Ela turned to look at the kids, who stood on the stairs, already dressed. Dee nodded, reaching out for Spencer, who went to his aunt.

"Like the fairy tale?" Jason asked, climbing into his father's lap.

"No Jason.....like_ Wicked,_ right Mama? Like the Wicked Witch of the West." Aria said, tugging gently on her mother's jeans. Ela's head snapped up.

_"Don't say that!"_

The thirteen-year-old backed up, tears in her eyes. Ela met her daughter's matching brown orbs, and promptly backed up, sitting quickly on the chair next to her husband's. She reached up, gnawing on her fingernails, shaking.

"Come here, Ari." Slowly, Ari went to Taye, and allowed him to pull her onto his lap. "Your parents have something to tell you--all of you. Go on."

Frederick swallowed, and glanced at his wife, taking her hand in his and squeezing.

"We.....kids, we're.....from Oz."

Ela sniffled, wiping her nose in an unladylike gesture on the back of her hand.

"All of us?" Jason asked. Eliana shook her head.

"No. Just Daddy and I. We.....we left Oz.....sixteen-seventeen years ago."

"Why?" Ela shrugged.

"It's complicated, baby boy." She said, reaching out to run her fingers through his sandy locks. Over the course of the afternoon, they told the children the whole story, from their childhoods in Oz to their lives now.

"We're sorry, we never meant to hurt you like this. We just...we'd made a life for ourselves and.....we didn't want to lose it. Can you forgive us?"

Aria slipped off Taye's lap and went to her mother, wrapping her arms around Ela's neck. Slowly, Ela wrapped her daughter in her arms, and kissed her hair. Spencer soon followed, and then Jason.

"We love you. We never stopped loving you. You're our children....ours and no one else's."

"We love you too, Mama. We love you, Daddy." Ari whispered, burying her head in her father's shoulder.

* * *

"What do we do?"

Dee looked up at Ela and Jason.

"We have to get her. No Ela, don't argue! We have to."

After a few moments, Ela relented.

"Fine. But Frederick and I go. You and Taye stay here with the kids."

* * *

Laney came too.

Slwoly, she sat up, and looked around.

"Ah....you're up."

Knowing she'd regret it later, Laney raised her head, coming face-to-face with the Lion.

* * *

"We're going with you."

"No you aren't Dee! You and Taye are staying here!" Ela creid.

"We're going, and that's final." She followed her friend up through the apartment, into their bedroom.

"SHE'S NOT YOUR DAUGHTER!" Eliana cried, rounding on her friends.

"But she's our god daughter, Ela. We have just as much right to find her as you do." Ela shook her head.

"We need you to stay with the kids. It's too dangerous for you--"

"_Like it isn't dangerous for you? Ela, you and Jason were running for your lives back in Oz!_ If we come with you, you'll have back up." Dee replied. Her friend shook her head.

"No. It's too dangerous."

"We want to go with you!" Ela looked down to see Jason clinging to her.

"No. It's too dangerous, and the last thing Daddy or I want is for you to get hurt. You're staying here with Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye." Ela replied.

"But Mama-" Spencer began.

"No buts, Spencer Nathaniel! You, and Aria and Jason are staying here." Frederick said, taking his wife's hand.

"We be back as soon as we can." He told them, kneeling down to kiss his children goodbye. Ela did the same.

"We love you." She whispered, pulling away.

"Ready?" He asked. She shook her head.

"No. But I don't have a choice, do I?"

He placed a gentle kiss on her lips, before taking her hand. The glass turned to liquid, and the two stepped through, not looking back.

"Mama? Daddy?"

Aria turned to Taye, wrapped her arms around his waist, and broke down.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: I made it to 30!**

**Question: But how did Ela do that without magic?**

**Answer: you'll see....**

**Thanks to Elphaba1Fan, ghostly bender, and lizziemagic for reviewing 29.**

Her dark eyes fluttered open.

She slowly moved her head, before moving to a sitting position and looking around. She had a killer headache, and every part of her body ached. Finally, she turned, seeing the man laying a few feet away. Her heart leaped, and she crawled to him. Reaching out tentatively, she shook him, tears coming to her eyes.

"Frederick?" She whispered. "Frederick? Frederick, _please_."

She choked out a sob, curling up next to him, resting her head on his chest, as he moaned softly. Quickly, she raised her head.

"Frederick?"

His blue eyes opened, and fell on the woman next to him, her long, thick, ebony hair pooling on his chest as she leaned close. Her dark chocolate eyes watched with tears dangling from the ends of her beautiful, upturned lashes, and her soft, pink lips gave forth a sob.

"W....what the hell happened?" He asked, struggling to sit up; it was difficult with the raven beauty leaning against him.

"Oh Frederick!" Eliana cried, throwing her arms around his neck, causing the two to topple back onto the dirt or grass, or wherever they were.

"Ow! E....Eliana?" She nodded, burying her face in his neck. He sighed, gently laying a hand on her back, her long hair bunched under his fingers. Swallowing, he asked,

"Could you....get off me please?" He asked. She quickly scrambled back, afraid she'd hurt him. The two sat up, looking at each other. Taking a deep breath, Eliana asked,

"Frederick? Is it you?"

"Of course it's me. Who else would it be?" He replied, rubbing his head. Then, he met her eyes. "Eliana?" A nod.

"Are you sure?" She nodded again. Then, she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his. Gently, passionately, violently.

As their lips locked, images of their life in New York flashed through their minds. When they'd first gotten there, met Dee and Taye, first performed Wicked, gotten engaged, married, their honeymoon, Delaney's birth, Aria and Spencer's birth, Jason's birth, their wedding anniversary, Laney's birthday, the Tony Awards, the arguement they'd had with Laney the night before, discovering her missing, and finally coming to Oz.

When they pulled apart, Frederick rested his forehead against Eliana's.

"It is you." He whispered. She nodded.

"Jason, I thought I'd lost you." She cried, throwing her arms around his neck. He held her tight against him, and kissed her hair.

"Never love. Never."

Twenty minutes later, Frederick stood, and helped Eliana to her feet, pulling her close.

"You okay?" He asked, gently running his hands over her, checking for broken bones. She nodded.

"I'm fine."

* * *

"Where are we?"

"I....I think we're in....Munchkinland." Frederick replied, looking around. Ela stuck close to her husband, on edge. They walked through town for a few minutes, before being stopped.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" The couple looked up, to see a man come up to them.

Munchkin. Obviously.

"Yes?"

"Who are you? And what are you doing in Center Munch?" He asked. Slowly, the inhabitants of the town started to gather, whispering and gawking at their clothes.

"We're.....um....we're lost......" Ela said, looking at her husband. He gently squeezed her hand. The man looked them up and down for a few minutes, and then turned, beckoning them to come. They followed.

* * *

"Now, what are you doing here? How did you get here? Who are you?" The mayor asked.

Ela shared a looked with Frederick. Finally, Jason sighed, and began.

"I'm....Frederick Tipton, and this is my wife, Eliana. We....we're here because...our daughter, Delaney....is here somewhere, and we want to bring her home."

The mayor thought for a moment.

"Home? Are you from the City?"

"N....not the city. New York City. Manhattan." Ela said. The mayor's brow furrowed.

"What is this...Manhamin? And New Cork?" Ela sighed.

"We're not from here. We're travelers. From....another world." She said.

* * *

They stood in the center of Center Munch, awkwardly the sideshow for the munchkins.

"Excuse me," Ela looked down, to see a little girl tugging on her jeans. "Where did you get your strange clothes?"

Mouth open, Ela looked to her husband, who pulled her close. They turned at the voice. The mayor came towards them, carrying a couple knapsacks; he handed them to the young couple.

"Here you go. New, handmade blankets, and some food for your trip. Now, what does your daughter look like?"

"Um....about.....5'4"-5'5". She.....looks like me....except for her eyes. Her eyes are a mossy green." Ela said, trying not to choke up.

"All right. We'll keep a look out for her."

"Thank you."

"Question." Ela looked back at her husband. He met her eyes briefly. "How do we get out of here?"

The mayor chuckled at Jason's question.

"Why it's simple. See the bricks beneath your feet?" Both looked down. "The red go to the Vinkus, and the yellow to the City. If you want to go to the Vinkus, take the red. The City, the yellow."

Ela and Jason looked back at each other.

"Well? Which way should we go first? North or South? East or West?" Ela asked. He thought a moment.

"East?" He asked. Ela nodded. "Which road goes East?" Ela asked the mayor.

The mayor met her eyes.

"The yellow brick."

Ela nodded thank you as she and Jason took hands, and followed the yellow brick.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Ela asked. "To the East?"

They looked back, seeing several munchkins following, and looked forward, to see several leading the way.

"Follow the yellow brick road!" A couple children cried.

"The yellow brick will get us to the East?" Ela asked. They nodded. As they followed, and eventually left Center Munch, the Munchkin's chant trailed at their heels, like the mangy dog, Dodo, from _Wicked_.

"Follow the yellow brick road! Follow the yellow brick road!"


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: From here on out, quotes belong to.....well....you can guess.....a _very _famous 1939 film.......**

Dee had taken over Ela's habit.

Back and forth, back and forth.

"Dee, please, you're gonna wear a hole into the floor."

"We have to go after them, Taye. We have to help."

"Dee- Dee!" He grabbed his wife's arms, stopping her pacing. "They've only been gone a couple hours."

She nodded, and resumed her pacing, oblivious to the younger children watching from the staircase. Slowly, Spencer turned to Aria and Jason.

"What are we gonna do, Spencer?" Jason asked. Spencer sighed.

"We're gonna go find Mama and Daddy."

* * *

They'd been on the road for hours.

"Jason? Can we stop and rest for few minutes? My feet are worn out." He nodded, leading her to a wooden fence and sitting down in front of it. Ela joined him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"How much longer?"

"I don't know love." He whispered.

"We need to find shelter, don't we?" She asked. He nodded, pulling a peach from his knapsack and holding it out to her. She took it, taking a bite, before handing it back to him. They shared the peach, eating in silence, resting their legs. When they decided to head on, Frederick climbed to his feet, and helped his wife to hers. Soon however, they stopped.

"What now? Which way?" She asked, looking at the four different forks they now faced.

"I'm not sure." He replied.

"Pardon me, this way is a very nice way."

"What did you say, Jason?" Ela asked, turning back to her husband. He looked at her.

"I didn't say anything, Mackenzie." Her brow furrowed.

"Are you sure?" He nodded.

"Positive."

A throat cleared, and spoke again, repeating the statement.

"Pardon me, this way is a very nice way."

Ela's head snapped up.

"Who said that?"

She stepped closer to the fence, seeing a scarecrow, arm pointed to the right. Then, mouth agape, she turned back to her husband, pointing.

Frederick raised an eyebrow. "Don't be silly, Ela. Scarecrows don't talk."

She turned back to the scarecrow, nodding, accepting her husband's logic.

"It's pleasant down that way, too." The scarecrow said, pointing to the left.

Ela chuckled nervously. "That's funny." She looked back at her husband, pointing to the right. "F....Frederick, wasn't he pointing the other way?"

"Of course, some people do go both ways." The scarecrow said, crossing his arms, so each arm pointed to the opposite path.

"Aah!" Ela screamed, and stumbled back, tripping over her feet and bumping into her husband. She grabbed onto her husband, trying to get as close as she could. "It talked. That....._thing_ _talked_. _Now do you believe me, Jason_?" She asked, trying her hardest to get closer. He nodded.

"I believe you, Mackenzie."

"If it's not too much trouble, could you two help me down?" The Scarecrow asked finally. Frederick and Eliana shared pointed looks, before setting their knapsacks down and slipping into the cornfield and untying him. He fell to the ground, got to his feet, and followed the couple back to the road. Then, he sank to the ground, legs splayed out in front of him, as Ela and Frederick joined him, Ela in the middle.

"I've been up there for too long. Thank you so much for helping me down. I can't thank you enough." The scarecrow said.

"You'll think of something." Frederick muttered, his mind on Laney.

"I doubt it." The Scarecrow replied.

"What do you mean?" Ela asked, looking at him.

"I haven't got a brain." Ela snorted, and looked at her husband, clearly amused.

"Yeah_ right_. _Everyone_ has a brain." She said, looking back at the Scarecrow, shaking her head in her know-it-all manner.

"I haven't got a brain... only straw." The Scarecrow replied, tiping his cap up and showing her. Ela's eyes widened.

"W....How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?" Scarecrow shrugged.

"I don't know... But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking... don't they?" Ela looked at her husband then the Scarecrow, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Yes, I guess you're right.... Ow!" She turned, at the light smack her husband gave her. He raised an eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes. After a while, they got up, leaving the Scarecrow sitting against the fence.

"I guess we should get going. At least find shelter before dark." Jason said, looking at the sky.

"Where are you going?" Scarecrow asked. Ela turned back to him.

"Well, our daughter is miss-- ow!" She looked back at her husband, caught the pointed glance he threw the scarecrow. "Would you excuse us?"

They moved further down the road, to talk in silence.

"What the fuck was that for?"

"Ela--I don't think we should trust the guy."

"Guy? _What guy_? He's a _scarecrow, for God's sake! _And it's not like he's gonna try anything with either Laney or I. He wouldn't be able to. I think we should take him with us. He seems to know the area, even for a scarecrow."

"No."

"_Why_ do you have to be stubborn _now_?"

"I'm not being stubborn, Ela. I'm being a husband and a father."

"_Who's jealous of a scarecrow?_ Come on Jason, that's _ridiculous_!"

"I don't trust him."

"Now you're being an idiot. He's a sewn up sack of straw. He can't do anything. If I remember correctly, you were a scarecrow once too." Her arms crossed over her small chest. He glared at her.

"That was different. I loved you."

"No it wasn't."

"Yes it was."

"No it wasn't."

"Yes it was! I loved you!"

"Oh, so you're saying you don't love me now?"

"N....Ela I didn't say that. You know I love you. What I meant was....that I wasn't born a scarecrow. I was born human. And I only became a scarecrow because it was the only way you could save me." He cupped her cheek, capturing a stray curl under his thumb. She sighed.

"I know. And I'll regret that for the rest of my life." She whispered, dropping her arms.

"I don't. It was the best decision you could have made at the time. And it brought me back to you."

"So, can we take him with us?" She asked after a moment. He sighed, closing his eyes.

"All right. But if he tries to pull anything--"

"Oh Frederick! He's a scarecrow!" Ela cried, leading her husband back to where the scarecrow waited.

"All right. You can come with us, since....you seem to know the area." She said, as Jason pulled her into his arms protectively.

"Okay. Well, let's go." And he led them down the north path.

* * *

They'd walked for an hour or so, until they stumbled on an apple grove.

"Hungry love?" Jason asked, taking her hand. She nodded.

They stopped, searching their knapsacks. Ela dropped hers, looking at the others.

"No apples." She looked around as Jason took a sip of water; her eyes landed on the apple grove, and she turned back to them.

"Apples! Could we pick some?"

"I don't see why not." Jason said, putting his water bottle away. Ela hurried to the nearest tree, and searched for a couple good apples, Jason searching also; the Scarecrow following suit. They searched for a few minutes, before Ela spied an apple, and reached up to grab it, only to have her hand slapped away.

"Ouch!"

She cradled her hand, feeling like a disciplined child.

"What'd'ya think you're doing?" Ela's eyes widened.

"It talked." She said, looking at her husband, who had come up behind her. "I...I was hungry and I wanted an apple. Would that be too much to ask?"

"She was hungry! Well, how would you like to have someone come along and pick something off of you?" The tree asked, reaching out and giving Ela a good shove. The girl toppled backwards, onto her ass, and Jason and the Scarecrow hurried to help her to her feet.

"Come along you two. You don't want any of those apples!" The Scarecrow said, glaring at the tree.

"Are you hinting my apples aren't what they ought to be?" The tree cried as the three turned to go.

"Oh, no! It's just that she doesn't like little green worms!" The Scarecrow replied, making a face. Angry, the tree grabbed a couple apples, and threw them at the three, until the whole grove was abuzz with flying fruit. Letting out a shriek, Ela hurried back the road, Jason behind her, the Scarecrow bringing up the rear, making faces at the trees. Then, he picked up several apples, polished them, and turned to the couple.

"You okay, Mackenzie?" Jason asked, gently checking her skin. She nodded, snuggling into him, her arms wrapped tight around his body. He held her close, holding her head against his chest; the both of them taking deep, grateful breaths.

"Jason?"

"Yeah, Mackenzie?"

"I don't like those apple trees." She said, shaking her head against his chest. He chuckled softly.

"I don't either sweetheart. I don't either."

"Well, here are your apples." They looked up, to see the Scarecrow holding several apples in his arms. Breaking apart, the couple put four in each knapsack, and then, taking hands, continued on. The scarecrow turned back once, making a face at the trees.

"Now I know who he reminds me of." Ela said, as they walked, the Scarecrow running to catch up.

"Really? Who?" Jason asked, looking at her. She met his gaze, and in one simple word said,

"You."

He thought a moment, before breaking into a grin and chuckling softly, to which his wife joined in.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Okay, so chapters 30 to about.....38 or so will be mainly Jason and Mackenzie and their trip on the yellow brick road......after 38 or so it'll get more into Laney and the others....so bear with me.....okay, I lied....we get into Dee/Taye/Sky/Kevin/the kids at the end of this chapter.....**

They came across a little cottage later that afternoon.

After checking to see if anyone was home, they discovered that it was abandoned, and decided to stay the night. After building a fire in the fireplace, Eliana curled up on the floor, watching the flames dance. Sighing, Jason joined her, wrapping one of the new blankets around her shoulders. She looked at him, as he drapped the blanket around her shoulders, reaching out and taking his hand in hers.

The couple looked up, to see the Scarecrow pulling a window closed.

"It's gonna rain tonight." He said. "Smell the air?"

"It's good that we found this then." Jason said, pulling his wife into his arms. She snuggled close, her head resting on his chest. As the scarecrow went about closing the windows and doors against the storm, Jason found himself reflecting on the last few hours.

"Is this real?"

"What did you say?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Nothing sweetheart." He replied. She removed part of the blanket from around her shoulders and draped it over his. Silent, the two snuggled together, watching the flames dance.

* * *

Later that night, while the Scarecrow sat on the front step, basking in the night air and rain that refused to hit him because of the awning, Jason lay with Mackenzie in his arms.

He watched her silently, as she snuggled closer, her head resting on his chest, their fingers laced. Gently, he kissed her forehead, and pulled her closer.

"It's my fault. I should have told Laney when she was younger. I'm her father. I...."

"Not your fault." Ela muttered in her sleep, as she snuggled closer. He sighed.

"It is. I was supposed to protect her......" He shifted onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. Soon however, his subject was replaced with his wife's sleepy, dark eyes, and long, tangled hair.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, voice thick with sleep. He sighed.

"We should have told her. When she was younger. We should have told her everything." Ela shifted, laying on her side, her head resting on his chest, under his chin. She took his hand, as he began rubbing her back.

"We couldn't. We were young, we didn't want to lose our family. We were protecting her." She whispered.

"I know. But--"

"Go......o.....leep, Jason." Ela said, her yawn obscuring her words. She sat up, leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on his lips before returning to her place, pulling the blanket tight around them. Jason sighed.

It wasn't until much later that he followed Ela's advice and got some sleep.

* * *

The next morning, after changing clothes and packing up their things, the three left the cottage, continuing down the road.

"So, who are we looking for again?" The Scarecrow asked. Ela and Jason looked at each other.

"Our...our daughter. Delaney. She's sixteen, and....I'm afraid she's come here by herself. She's run away. And it's our fault." Ela said, as the three walked on.

"How is it your fault?"

"Well, we....we lied to her, for sixteen years, and she found out, and fled." Jason said. Scarecrow nodded.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Here. Somewhere." Ela said, looking around. They continued on in silence.

* * *

"Do we have everything?" Spencer asked, looking from his sister to his brother and back.

The others nodded. He turned to the mirror.

"How do we find them?" Aria asked.

"I don't know."

"Where did Mama and Daddy go anyway?" Jason asked, looking at his older brother. Spencer bit his lower lip, a habit he'd picked up from Mama.

"_Wicked_."

"They went to _Wicked_!"

"No....yes.....I don't know."

"No! They went to Oz!" Aria corrected.

"Oz?" She nodded at Jason. "How do you get to----"

The glass in the mirror in their parents' bedroom began to swirl, and they took hands, stepping through, just as the door opened.

"No! Kids, no!"

Dee raced after them, Taye, Sky, and Kevin following to get ahold of Dee.

However, by the time they would have left the room, the mirror was solid again.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chpater 33. **

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Okay, this chapter is going to switch between Dee/Taye/Sky/Kevin and the kids, and Ela/Jason/Scarecrow.....don't worry, Laney will come in later....**

Her head pounded.

As she sat up, she found herself sitting on yellow brick, a few feet away from her husband. She moved to him, and shook, gently.

"Kevin. Kevin wake up."

He stirred, and looked into her eyes.

"Sky?"

"Hey." She whispered. Slowly, Kevin sat up, rubbing his head. As they rose to their feet, they found Dee and Taye a few feet away, and woke them up. The children were the last ones they turned to.

"Aria. Spencer. Jason. Wake up."

"Five more minutes, Mama." Jason muttered, rolling onto his side. The adults chuckled, before Sky knelt next to him, and gently patted his cheek.

"Jason. Wake up." He slowly opened his blue eyes, seeing Sky in Mama's place.

"Syler?" He whispered, his special nickname for her. She nodded.

"Come on. Up and at 'em." She helped the boy to his feet, as Dee and Taye helped the twins. Once they were all stable on their feet, Dee looked around.

"Where are we?" Aria asked.

Taking a deep breath, Dee looked at Aria.

"Oz."

* * *

They walked along the road, keeping close, the children clinging to their aunt and uncle.

After a while, Aria raced ahead, having spotted something in the woods.

"What's that?"

"Aria! If her parents find out we lost her, Ela and Jason will kill me. _Personally_." Dee said, taking off after her niece. She finally reached the younger girl. Doubling over, she caught her breath. "I am _definately_ not as young as I used to be."

She took a step towards the girl.

"Aria, you don't go running off when we're in a strange---." Dee stopped, her eyes landing on the metal man standing in front of her, the name that Aria was now trying to unrust.

"Mom!"

"Idina!"

"Auntie Dee!"

"Did you find--" Sky stopped, as she and the others joined Ari and Dee.

"Is that--" Kevin started.

Dee nodded.

"Uh huh."

"Is he really made of--"

"Uh huh."

"He's become--"

"Uh huh."

"Shh! He said something!" Aria said, looking back at the others before turning back to the man. "What did you say?" She asked, standing on her toes to hear.

Silence.

"Did you say something?"

Several unintelligable sounds were heard.

"I didn't--"

"It's all Ozian to me." Taye said. Aria looked back at them.

"He said oil can!" She cried, searching for the can in question.

"Oil can what?" Jason asked, confused.

"No! _Oil can_!" Aria said, holding up said can. Then, she proceeded to drip oil into his nooks and cranies, until he could move and talk again.

"Thank you so much. You don't know how hard it was to stay in that pose." The tinman said, sagging slightly. Dee's eyebrows raised, and she backed up.

"You're not real. You're a fictional character in a children's storybook, movie, and a musical."

"Mom, now is not the time to freak out!" Sky snapped, seeing exactly where Dee was planning on going.

* * *

"How long do you think it'll take us to get there?" Ela asked.

"Get where? We don't even know where we're going. And besides, Delaney could be anywhere in Oz." Jason replied, taking her hand.

"Well, if we're going to the city, then we should continue straight. If we go west, we should turn left, and east go right." Scarecrow said.

"I thought you said you didn't have a brain." Ela said, raising an eyebrow at the Scarecrow, who shrugged.

"I don't. But a group of soldiers passed by my cornfield a few weeks ago, trying to figure out the right way to go. I heard them talking."

"Soldiers?" Jason's head snapped up. Ela took his hand.

"Yep. In green uniforms."

The couple shared a worried glance; the same thought on their minds.

_The Gale Force._


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: 're-greenification' was recently brought up......you'll see....**

**Question: how could there be TWO scarecrows if Elphaba's not there toturn another guy into a scarecrow?**

**Answer: You'll find out....**

**Question: Did they go into their own Ozian past, and Fiyero IS the scarecrow and they just don't know it?**

**Answer: you'll see.....**

**Question: Is Ela Elphaba, and Frederick Fiyero?**

**Answer: yes, Ela is 'Elphaba' and Frederick is 'Fiyero'.**

**Question: Then if so, how did they meet a scarecrow? Wasn't Frederick said scarecrow?!**

**Answer: relax, you'll see......and yes, Frederick 'was' said scarecrow....but you'll find out.**

**Question: Is there some sort of 'time-loop' thing occuring here, or does the 1939 Oz exist separately from the Wicked one?**

**Answer: you'll see....**

**Question: But wasn't the tin man Boq? And the scarecrow was Fiyero? Who's that scarecrow?**

**Answer: You'll see....just NOT in this chapter!**

**Thanks to lizziemagic, SoConfusified, ghostly bender, and IchikoWindGriffin for reviewing 33.**

They were no closer to their goal than they had been the first day.

"Are we going the right way?" Eliana asked, looking back up the way they'd come.

"We're going the right way, trust me."

She cast a sideways glance at the Scarecrow, then nudged her husband in the ribs, and the two slipped off to a secluded area farther away.

"I'm starting to regret asking him to come." She said. Jason nodded.

"Well we can't send him back to the cornfield now, Ela."

"I know. But.....there's....something_ not right_ about him. He's....off." Ela said, wrapping her arms around herself. He reached out, gently cupping her chin.

"Not right? How so love?" Frederick asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I....._I don't know_. But.....I don't like it. I feel like......I've _seen him_ somewhere before."

"_Wicked?_ The make up I wore?" She shook her head.

"No."

"The movie?"

"No."

"Then, I don't know love....."

She sighed.

"You're right. 'Ela, you're sniffing conspiracy theories again.' as Dee would say." He chuckled.

"We'll be okay love." She nodded.

"I hope so."

* * *

By the time they continued walking, Ela was back to her old self.

As they continued on, they found a group of people gathered in the woods.

"What the hell?" Ela asked, breaking free and hurrying over to them. "What the hell-" She stopped short, catching a flash of black hair.

"Aria? Aria!"

"Ela!" Jason chased after her, coming to a stop behind her.

"Aria!" The girl turned, and her eyes widened.

"Mama!" She broke into a run, pushing through the group, until she reached her mother. Letting out a cry, she threw her arms around her mother's neck, burying her face in the long, black hair she'd inherited. "Oh Mama!" Tears filled her eyes, and she relished the feel of her mother's lips in her hair.

"Oh my baby! My baby!" When they finally pulled away, Ela cradled her daughter's face in her hands, pressing her forehead against her daughter's. "What are you doing here? How did you get here? You shouldn't be here, you should be home, with Auntie Dee--" She looked up, seeing Dee a few feet away.

"Idina.....wha...what are you doing here? Jason and I told you to stay with the kids..."

"We did! But....they were....they....." She gestured to the boys, who rushed to their parents. "They came to Oz, and we followed to bring them back, and got sucked in."

"Mama! Daddy!" Jason and Spencer threw their arms around their parents, glad to be back in their warm embraces.

"You _came to Oz_? Why?" Ela asked, looking at her children.

"We wanted to find you." Jason said.

"Oh baby....it's too dangerous. You shouldn't have come, any of you." Ela said, holding her young son close.

"We're just glad you're okay." Frederick said, hugging both Spencer and Aria. The sound of creaking brought everyone looking up.

Ela's eyes widened; a tinwoodsman moved towards them. She let go of her son, and stumbled back, hiding behind her husband.

"Frederick, is that...." He nodded.

"Do I know you?" The Tinman asked. The young couple shared a worried glance.

"I'm Eliana and this is my husband, Frederick." Ela said, coming out from behind her husband.

"Nice to meet you."

"Who are you?" Everyone turned, to see the Scarecrow studying the Tinman, like he'd seen him before. "You seem familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Me? No. I'd remember if I ever met a scarecrow before."

"Mama? Who's that?" Aria asked, pointing to the Scarecrow.

"He's a scarecrow, sweetheart. He's....been helping us find Laney." Ela said.

* * *

After the group had gotten acquainted, they continued down the road.

"Jason, could we...." Ela pulled Frederick further down the road, until the two stood where they could talk in private.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Do...do you feel like...we're stuck in a fucked up version of _The Wizard of Oz_? Or....an episode of_ Tin Man_?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. This is getting a little odd."

"Hey, you guys okay?" They turned, to see Sky a few feet from them.

"Yeah, we're okay." Frederick said, taking Ela's hand and joining the group. The couple shared worried looks, but allowed themselves to be led down the yellow brick road.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Okay. The first half of this deals with Laney, but the second half is the shocker.....**

Laney yelped, and crawled back, bumping to something.

She turned, seeing an old.....mechanical theater-like puppet show. What the hell? Her head snapped back, and she saw the lion advancing. On instinct, she curled up, putting her hands in front of her.

"Please. I didn't mean to. I'm really not the kind of thing you'd eat. I'm sorry!"

She only opened her eyes and lowered her arms slightly when the Lion cocked his head.

"Why would I eat you, yuck!" The Lion said. Laney's eyes widened.

"You......_talked_."

"Yes. So?"

She stumbled to her feet, and backed up, hitting the mechanical theater.

"Lions don't talk. They roar and run and lick their paws. They _don't talk_."

The Lion snorted.

"We talk, I can assure you."

Laney stayed where she was.

"Don't please."

"Like I'd eat you. What are you doing here?" The Lion said.

"I......I ran away. From my parents. They....they lied to me about something, and so I came here." She waited a moment. "What's your name?"

"I'm Brr. And you?"

She swallowed.

"D....Delaney."

"Well, Delaney, do you know who your parents are? Where they are? Maybe we could find them for you." Brr said. Laney shook her head.

"I doubt they even noticed I was gone." Tears slid down her cheeks, and she jumped, when Brr wiped the tears off her cheeks.

"Come on. Let's go get you something to eat." He said, turning and walking away. Grabbing her things, she followed, hesitantly.

"Wh....what was that thing?" She asked, referring to the mechanical theater. Brr looked at her.

"That's the Clock of the Time Dragon. It's been asleep for years."

"Clock of the Time Dragon?" She looked back at it. "Like_ Wicked?_" She whispered softly.

* * *

The wheels started turning. The lights started, and the curtains opened.

Slowly, mechanical dolls appeared in three different levels. The lion and the girl disappeared behind the curtain, while the small group of puppets moved across the stage.

One slipped away from the group, unaware of the other puppet following her.

* * *

Four days had passed.

"Is it always this.....wet?" Sky asked, looking out the window. They'd come across another house in the woods, and had taken shelter from the storm now raging outside.

"Not usually." Ela said, feeling Frederick's arms wrap around her from behind. He kissed her cheek, and gave her a gentle squeeze, before removing the whistling kettle from the stove. She pulled the light jacket around her tighter, and sat at the table, across from Dee. Aria joined them, placing herself on her mother's lap. The thirteen-year-old snuggled close, breathing in her mother's scent. Absent-mindedly, Eliana began running her fingers through Ari's thick black hair. She placed a tender kiss on her daughter's crown, before resting her chin atop the kiss.

"You okay?" Ela nodded. After a while, she gently patted Aria's hip.

"Up." The girl removed herself from her mother's lap, and Eliana got up, going to the window. She watched the rain for several minutes, before disappearing into one of the small back bedrooms. She sighed, tossing the blanket around her shoulders onto the bed and going to the window.

* * *

"Are you all right?"

She turned, to see a figure standig in the doorway.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just....discouraged." She said, wrapping her arms around herself.

A hand reached up, gently squeezing her shoulder. She turned, seeing only shadow.

Her eyes closed, and and two delicate tears slide down her cheeks.

"It'll be okay. We'll find her." He whispered, leaning close. Eyes closed, she shook her head gently.

"What if we don't?"

"We will." He replied. She didn't look at him, didn't open her eyes.

Then, tenderly, gently, he kissed her. At first, she didn't respond, but soon, she kissed back, unaware that the man she was kissing wasn't her love.

"Mmm. F....Frederi---"

After a startled moment, he whispered,

"Elphaba. It's me, Fiyero."


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: when will they (the questions) be answered?**

**Answer: I believe I answered a couple already....**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 34.**

_Fiyero._

She hadn't heard that name in years.

_Elphaba._

That wasn't her name.

Eliana was her name. Eliana Mackenzie Tipton.

Too caught up in the kiss, she didn't register the two phrases, until his arms were around her and their lips crashed together violently, passionately. Her hands grasped fistfuls of his shirt, and he tightened his grip on her waist.

"F....Frederick.....I love you...." She whispered, her eyes opening slowly, but not seeing. His image blurred, and she closed her eyes, slowly shaking her head. Costively, his hands ran up her sides, feeling the curves of her body. "Frederick....."

They moved to the bed, sitting on the edge, their hands roaming wildly. He cradled her head, pulling away gently.

"Elphaba. Elphaba, open your eyes." She shook her head.

"That's not my name, Frederick, you know it. It's Eliana. Eliana."

He sighed.

"Elphaba. Please, open your eyes. Look at me. Elphaba, look at me."

Slowly, her eyes opened, unfocused.

"Elphaba. It's me. Fiyero."

She shook her head.

"No Frederick, you're wrong."

He took her hand, bringing it to his face. Suddenly, Eliana felt burlap beneath the pads of her fingers, the painted face, the straw beneath the felt hat. Suddenly, her eyes focused, she saw the felt clothing, the ropes around the waist and wrists, the white gloves, the straw.

"Elphaba."

She met his painted eyes, her breathing coming in rapid gasps. Quickly, she stumbled back, landing on her rear on the floor.

"Who---what are you?"

He knelt in front of her, reaching out to take her hand.

"Elphaba, listen to me. It's me. Fiyero."

Gently, he caressed her face.

"Remember? It's me. Fiyero."

_It's me. Fiyero._

Those three words rang loud and clear in her head.

And she screamed.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Okay, I checked, and TMI isn't showing chapters 35 or 36 when I bring it up on my profile, but when I look on the Live Preview in the publish portion of my Login, and it shows 35 and 36. So, I'm thinking this is a technical glitch, so I'm gonna remove and add 35/36 again, and upload 37.**

**Question: is she pregnant or not?!?!?!?!?!**

**Answer: You'll find out....later on.....**

**Question: How could it NOT be Fiyero? I mean, Fredrick is Fiyero! How can it not be?**

**Answer: you'll see.....**

**Question: **

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 35 and 36 and SoConfusified for reviewing 35 and 36.**

Footsteps sounded, and the door was pushed open.

Eliana looked up, to see Frederick, Dee, Taye, Sky, Kevin, and the kids in the doorway. The Tinman stood behind them. Quickly, Frederick hurried to his wife, pulled her to her feet, and into his arms.

"_What the hell do you think you're doing_?" He snapped. Eliana burrowed into his arms. Slowly, Scarecrow rose to his feet, hands up in surrender.

"I was talking to her. That's all."

Frederick eyed him suspicously for a minute. Then, he led Eliana out of the room.

Once they were back in the living room, they had seated themselves on the sofa, the others gathering around.

"Ela, what happened?" Dee asked. She looked at them, tears running down her cheeks before looking back at her husband.

"I....I was....in the bedroom, watching the moon when he came in. I....I thought it was you, Frederick. We....talked for a few minutes and he.....he kissed me. I didn't open my eyes, so I thought it was you.......and he said, 'Elphaba. It's me, Fiyero.' I thought you were messing with me.....I kept kissing him, and, before I knew it, I was....looking into his....his painted eyes....and....I....I ended up on the floor.....he....he knelt next to me and touched my cheek.....he kept saying 'Elphaba. It's me, Fiyero.'.....so....I....I screamed....." She disolved into sobs, burying her face in her husband's lap. "I'm sorry. I'm _so, so sorry!_"

Jason sighed, closing his eyes. Subconsiously, he ran his fingers through his wife's silky hair.

"It's okay love, you didn't know. You have nothing to be sorry about. It's not your fault. The one who's gonna be sorry is that--"

"Frederick! Please! Not in front of your children!" Dee snapped, pulling Aria close.

He brought Eliana's face to his, and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Sweetheart, it's not your fault. Okay?" She nodded, wiping the tears off her cheeks.

"Okay." She whispered. He pressed his lips to her forehead, and got up. Sky sat next to her friend, rubbing her shoulder gently. Everyone turned, to see the Scarecrow enter.

"I'm gonna ask this once, and only once. Who are you?" Frederick asked, reaching down taking his wife's hand. Slowly, the Scarecrow came towards them. Ela stood, keeping behind her husband, her hands wrapping around his arms.

"I told Elphaba. Didn't she tell you? It's me. Fiyero." Scarecrow said, stopping in front of the couple. He laughed.

"Sky, Kevin, take the kids in the bedroom." Taye said. Sky nodded, taking Aria's hand. She and Kevin ushered the children into the back bedroom, closing the door behind them. But they all listened at the old oak.

"I'm you, _Frederick_. Remember me? Fiyero?" He eyed the couple, his painted eyes roaming over Frederick, before flicking to Eliana, who had moved; she gripped her husband tightly, her arms tight around his neck. He held her close, his arms around her waist. "Or have you forgotten? Let me guess, you've been too busy living that....._wonderful_ life in that other world. Getting married? Starting a career? _Raising_ a family?" His eyes roamed over Ela, taking in every curve of her body, every soft mound of flesh visible.

In one swift movement, he had grabbed Ela's wrist, pulled her to him, and given Frederick a good shove, until he toppled on to his back. She let out a scream, reaching for her husband, until the Scarecrow pulled her too him, and kissed her. She struggled against him, until he pulled away, and walked towards Frederick. Slowly, the Scarecrow knelt next to him, grabbed Frederick by the front of his shirt, until they were nose to.....painted nose and spoke.

"You made a _big _mistake leaving Oz. Do you know how _long_ I've _waited_ for Elphaba to return, and now she has, and I'm not letting her get away. Not this time. Remember me? Remember Shiz? Life Sciences? The Lion cub? Remember your engangment to Glinda? Being appointed to Captian of the Guard? Remember running away with Elphaba? Staging her death? Coming back to get her?"

"We left Oz. We couldn't stay otherwise we would have been killed. We had no choice." Frederick replied, struggling to get out of his grip.

"You had a choice. You ignored it. You took her from me!"

"How could I take her from you when I am you!" Frederick cried, shoving the Scarecrow. He climbed to his feet, rubbing his throat.

"You left Oz, you left, taking her with you! She was mine! _Mine_!"

And with anger, he grabbed an old vase sitting on the table, left by the former tenants, and raised it, bringing it down over Frederick's head. The vase shattered, mixing with Ela's scream. Her husband slowly dropped to the floor, slightly disoriented, his vision blurring in and out. Ela rushed over to him, kneeling next to him. Blood ran down the side of his forehead, and he looked into her dark eyes.

"Frederick!"

Suddenly, the Scarecrow grabbed Ela's arms, forced her to her feet, and dragged her to the door. Slowly, Frederick got to his feet, moving to the two. The Scarecrow turned to him, a glint in his eyes.

"You made a big mistake, Frederick. If you come after her, I will kill you. I swear it. I'm _not_ losing Elphaba again."

And with that, he threw the door open, and marched out into the rain, dragging Eliana with him. She turned back, reaching for her husband. Just as their fingers brushed, he wrenched her into the rain. Her scream drowned out the beat of thunder.

_"Frederick!"_

He hurried after them, Dee and Taye chasing after, as Sky, Kevin and the kids- who had slipped out of the room during the confrontation- moved to the doorway.

_"Eliana!"_

"Frederick!" Dee grabbed onto his shoulders. Slowly, they crumpled to their knees, searching the blinding rain for a sign of Ela.

"Daddy?" The three looked back, seeing the others in the doorway. Slowly, he got to his feet, and went back to the kids, Dee and Taye following. Once they were back inside, Dee made him sit at the table, while she grabbed a rag and wet it. Then, she dabbed it against the cut on his head. He winced slightly. Slowly, Jason climbed into his father's lap.

"Daddy? Where's Mama?" Frederick looked at Dee and Taye, before looking back at his youngest son.

"She's gone, Jas."

"Where Daddy?" Spencer asked.

"The Scarecrow took her."


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to missabnormal6241 for reviewing 37.**

Eliana struggled against the Scarecrow.

He kept a firm grip on her wrist, as he dragged her further into the woods.

_"Let go!"_ She screamed, making one final attempt to break free. He didn't loosen his grip, just dragged her further into the woods. Finally, they came upon a small clearing, near a stream. He turned, never letting go of her. Instead, he pulled her closer.

"Here we are."

"Where?" Eliana asked, wrenching free. He let her.

"Don't you remember, Elphaba?" She backed up, he followed, his steps cool and calculating.

"R....remember what?" She asked, putting her hands up as a makeshift shield. Her breathing came in gasps, and her eyes never left his face.

"That night. Here. In the woods. The night we left the Palace, the night I broke off my engagment to Glinda. The night I admitted that I loved you. Remember?" He asked, grabbing her around the waist. Then, he brought a gloved hand up and caressed her face. She cringed at his touch, turning her face from his. _"Don't you remember?"_ He demanded, shaking her. She shook her head violently, and letting out a frustrated cry, he shoved her.

She landed on her side amid the dirt and leaves. Once she'd sat up, she crawled backwards, away from him, tears in her eyes, whimpering.

"Please. Just let me go back to Frederick. He's my husband. I love him--"

_"Frederick! Frederick! Frederick! God, you stupid fool! Don't you realize that I am your precious Frederick!_" He screamed, advancing on her. She backed up further. In two swift strides, he was next to her, kneeling in front of her. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look in his eyes. "I am Frederick."

She shook her head.

"No you're not! You're not my Frederick! You're not my Frederick!" She cried, tears running down her cheeks.

"Yes I am. Don't you remember? Remember Elphaba? Remember who I was before I became Frederick? _Remember?_"

She shook her head, wrenching away from him. She backed up covering her ears, her eyes shut tight, as she violently sobbed, her body shaking.

"Shut up! Shut up! _SHUT UP_!" She screamed, burying her head in her knees, her arms draped protectively over her neck. He watched her, silent.

* * *

"I have to go after them." Frederick got up, grabbing his coat.

"No!" Dee raced after him as he reached for the door. "You can't. It's storming, and God knows where they are now!"

He turned on his friend.

"I have to find them, Dee."

"I know Frederick, but you were just hit in the head, you need to rest!" Dee said, grabbing his arm.

_"She's my wife!"_

"And she's my best friend!" Dee screamed. "Please Frederick. We just lost Ela. We can't lose you too." Tears glistened in her eyes. He sighed, and gently took her arms.

"Idina _please,_ I have to find her. Who knows what that Scarecrow could be doing to her. I have to find her. I can't lose her. I lost Laney. I can't lose Ela too." He said, his voice softer. She nodded, reluctantly. Then, she wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing. He held her close, before letting go.

"What was he saying? The Scarecrow?" They turned, to see Spencer sitting at the table. His father sighed.

"He said....that....he was Fiyero."

"Like from _Wicked_? The Fiyero you play Daddy?" Spencer asked. Frederick and Eliana had returned to Wicked for the anniversary of the revival, the whole revival cast had. Slowly, he nodded.

"Yeah, Spence. Except, he's not a character. He's real."

"How can a fictional character be real, Daddy?" Spencer asked, as Frederick joined them. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I hoped it wouldn't come to this, or that....Ela would be here to help explain this." He looked at his youngest children, and pulled Aria to him. She snuggled into his lap, resting her head on his chest, reaching up to play with the buttons on his coat. Tears sprang to his eyes.

Aria was so much like Ela, from her features to her mannerisms. She'd picked up Ela's habit of playing with the buttons on shirts. Sighing, he reached up, taking his daughter's hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand before kissing it. She snuggled closer, like her mother did, waiting for him to continue. Finally, she spoke up.

"Daddy?"

He looked down at her, having been snapped out of his memory. Taking a deep breath, he began.

"This isn't going to be easy. But, I met your Mama when we were in college. See, we'd both started at Shiz......"


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Their story comes out......**

**Question: Okay...so..'Frederick' just met his Ozian counterpart... who he once was..which means... time loop yes? Kind of?**

**Answer: Okay, I love SoConfusified's theory, so I decided to post it with the question:**

**'But Elphie doesn't remember who she is because she's so been far removed from it for so long, creating this other identity for herself that that original part of her no longer exists in the capacity it once did, meaning they are now two completely separate entities (literally, a past-life reincarnation kind of thing) or else it's still there and she doesn't WANT to remember it.'**

**The answer is......yes. Yes to time loop, yes to _almost _everything. Eliana doesn't remember because she's been in New York for so long, living NOT as Elphie, but as Eliana, so therefore, 'Elphie' no longer exists to her- only as a character she's portrayed on Broadway. ****Niether one remembered because they'd both been removed from it for years- creating these other lives for themselves- that until they got to Oz, niether one remembered that they'd _lived_ in Oz, they'd gotten so wrapped up in life in New York. To both Eliana and Frederick, 'Fiyero' and 'Elphaba' are just characters they played on Broadway, so when Fiyero confronts them, Frederick has to face the one thing he'd forgotten for the last twenty-so years- until now.**

**She also doesn't want to remember, because it is still there nagging at the back of her mind-basically, everytime she loses her temper or gets upset, it's 'Elphaba's' insanity coming out, but Eliana doesn't remember BECAUSE she's been in New York with Frederick for the last twenty years or so, and yes, in a sense, which you will see in later chapters, there is a separate entity (a past-life reincarnation). Frederick's still refusing to admit this is real, but he's slowly coming around, with the events that have taken place. And things just get worse from here on in and Eliana will eventually have to come to turns with reality.....**

**Question: So Elphaba/Ela isn't green??**

**Answer: You'll see...**

**Question: Okay, I love lizziemagic's question as well, so I'm posting the same thing. **

**'Fiyero is loving and gentle and the scarecrow is acting bipolar! How can the scarecrow be Fiyero?!?! And if he is Fiyero, why is he saying that Fredrick "took her away"? I mean isn't the "real" Elphaba (not Eliana) out there somewhere? Shouldn't he be looking for HER?!?!?!?!'**

**Answer: The scarecrow is the separate entity. Frederick and Eliana lived in New York for so long that he completely forgot about 'Fiyero' that the identity he used to be basically splintered off from himself, and resides in Oz. He's saying that Frederick "took her away" because Eliana doesn't remember Oz, and has essentially forgotten her former life. And yes....in a sense, the 'real' Elphaba is out there, but she's also inside Eliana, she just refuses to see it. And he has looked for her, but she, being an entity, is basically in hiding. So you'll see....**

**Thanks to SoConfusified, ghostly bender, and lizziemagic for revieiwing 38.**

I got to Shiz a couple days after the first classes started. Avaric, my driver, had nearly run over this girl--"

"And let me guess, you were asleep in the back, right?" Dee asked, remembering the scene from _Wicked_. He nodded.

"When I woke up, I was looking into the......most beautiful brown eyes I'd ever seen. And then I saw her skin. And I....I couldn't handle it. She was green. But...I soon came to love her skin, two days after a dance at the Ozdust. Dr. Dillamond, the history professor had been taken away, and a new professor had been put in his place, with a lion cub in a cage. Mama....she lost her temper, and everyone became affected by her magic, except me. We left, taking the cub and releasing him into the woods....and....we talked. It was then that I realized I'd fallen in love with her. But....we couldn't be together because I was with Glinda. She and Glinda went to the Emerald City and met with the Wizard, and it was only when Glinda returned that I found out that Mama had discovered the Wizard's true plans- to silence the Animals, and use Mama's magic for his own uses. She'd refused, fleeing, becoming a fugitive, and labled a 'Wicked' witch.' I saw Mama five years later."

"Where Daddy?" Spencer asked.

"At the Wizard's palace. Glinda ambushed me with an engagment party. I didn't want to marry her; I didn't love her. She found that out the hard way, when I discovered your Mama in the Wizard's throne room. I'd become the Captian of the Guard to find Mama. To protect her. To make sure she was safe. Not for the reasons everyone thought. And Glinda.....Glinda found us. I....I told her then and there that I was going with Mama, and that I didn't love her, that I couldn't love her. It was a serious blow, but it had to be dealt. When we left, we fled....rushing to the Gillikin Woods and spending the night catching up on everything we'd lost. It was....later that evening that Mama had... presage about her sister, Nessa. You know the scene in _The Wizard of Oz_ where the house comes down and crushes the Wicked Witch of the East?"

The children nodded, silent.

"Well, that's what happened. That's what Mama saw. She left, and, earlier that day, she came across Glinda, at the house. Nessa was dead, and the shoes were gone. Dorothy had them and had left. Anway, Mama and Glinda argued, their arguement breaking into a fight, and the Gale Force showed up, capturing Mama. I showed up not long after...."

"Swinging on a vine and yelling?" Aria asked, snuggling close to her father. He chuckled, softly.

"Yes. I told them to let her go, and they did. And then, I ordered Mama to run, that I'd hold them off as long as I could, and when she left, they attacked, tying me to a pole and beating me before placing me in the cornfield. The next thing I remember, is...feeling this sharp, intense pain all over my body. When I woke up a couple days later, i was--"

"The Scarecrow?" Jason asked quietly. Frederick nodded.

"You know how _The Wizard of Oz_ goes." They nodded. "That's what happened."

"Did Mama really melt?" Spencer asked, fear in his eyes. Frederick chuckled at the curiosity buried in the question.

"No. It was staged. She didn't melt. And, like in the play, I came back and, we left Oz. We.....got to New York, and....met Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye, and.....soon created our life together. That life we have--our careers, our marriage, you-- it's our life, not Oz. Not.....this. None of this is ours. This isn't us. New York is."

"But why did the Scarecrow say you took Mama from him if he's you? And where did he take Mama?" Aria asked.

"I don't know why he said that, and as for where he took her, I'm not----" Frederick stopped, a lightbulb going off in his head.

"Frederick, what is it? What's wrong?" Dee asked.

"The Gillikin Forest." He whispered, before gently setting Aria on her feet. Quickly, he gathered his coat, and grabbed a lantern, pushing past them.

"Frederick!" He turned back to them. "What is it?" Dee asked.

"I know where they are, Dee. I know where he took her." He said, pulling the door open.

"Where?" She creid, as he left. He turned back to her.

"The Gillikin Forest!"


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Sorry it's so short.**

**Question: Is there another Elphie out there? Not Eliana's personality and who she is deep down, but a real physical being Elphaba. ELIANA DOES NOT COUNT.**

**Answer: Wait and see....**

**Question: So the "Real Elphaba" Out there too? Like the Scarecrow Fiyero?**

**Answer: You'll find out...**

**Thanks to lizziemagic, SoConfusified, missabnormal6241, and Elphiethegood for reviewing 39.**

He ran through the woods, searching for any sign of his wife. The lantern only cast so much light into the woods, that he had to strain his eyes.

"Eliana! Eliana!"

The only thing that answered him was the pounding rain. Lightning flashed, and he continued on. After having found no sign of her, he stopped, looking around frantically.

_"Eliana!"_

* * *

Frederick's voice rang in her ears, and she looked up, searching frantically.

"Frederick?" Slowly, she climbed to her feet, and stumbled past the Scarecrow. He grabbed her wrist.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" He demanded. She looked at him.

"He's looking for me. He's finally found you." She said, trying desparately to wrench from his grasp.

"No he won't."

"Yes he will!"

Angry, he grabbed her other hand, and yanked, pulling her wedding ring from her hand.

"You won't need this anymore." And as if ridding himself from a speck of dust, he tossed her wedding band into the mud.

"No." Ela creid, tears in her eyes, as she knelt to grab it. But with a good tug, the Scarecrow hauled her to her feet, and pulled her further into the woods.

_"Frederick!"_

* * *

He moved in the direction of the voice. By the time he got there, they were gone. Finally, he knelt down, something having caught his eye.

Picking it up, he examined it closely.

A gold, engraved band.

Slowly, he turned it over, reading the inscription on the inside.

_My rose and pearl._

Ela's wedding band.

* * *

He ran through the woods, searching, her wedding ring tight in his hand.

"Ela! Eliana!"

* * *

The figure looked up, raising her head. Slowly, she moved away from the cover of the trees, her conical hat protecting her from the rain. She pulled her cloak tighter around her, and grabbed her broom, before stepping into the woods. Her eyes landed on Frederick, and she quickly walked towards him. He turned, to see someone moving towards him.

"Eliana?"

Once she got close enough, she spoke.

"Fiyero?"


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: did they find the older Elphaba who found Fiyero and escaped from Oz and became friendswith Dee and Taye and is a famous Broadway star and married Fiyero and is the mother of Delaney Aria Spencer and Jason who was recently kiddnapped by a scarecrow or did they find younger Elphaba who just cast a spell on Scarecrow and thinks her lover is dead and is currently (if I'm correct) trying to capture Dorky and get her sister's shoes back, who Scarecrow THINKS he has? Does that help a little?**

**Answer: yes that helps. read and see which Elphaba Frederick stumbled upon.**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 40.**

"What did you call me?"

She finally got close enough to see his face, and soon, she broke into a smile.

"Oh Fiyero!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck, causing him to stumble. He caught her, and pulled back to look into her eyes.

"El--" Before he could get the rest of the words out, she kissed him, her lips pressing to his. Instantly, he pushed her away.

"F.....Fiyero? Why..."

"What did you call me?"

"Fiyero. That's your name."

"No it's not." He said, backing up as she advanced.

"Yes it is." Finally, he lost his footing, tripping over a root and landing on the grass. The woman knelt next to him. "Fiyero."

He looked up, meeting her eyes. Something else caught his eye though.

She was green. She looked like Ela after she'd had the paint applied for _Wicked_. Her long raven hair hung down her back in knots, and she looked worn. The dress she wore reminded Frederick of the costume Eliana wore during the second act- pieced together, attached and reattached over and over again, the hem ragged, and hanging on by a thread. The broom lay next to her, and the conical hat resting over the broom.

"It worked!" She cried, covering her face with her hands and letting out an overjoyed gasp. "I can't believe it worked! Oh, for once, _for once_ in my life, something goes right! For once, I've done a good deed that hasn't blown up in my face! Yes! Oh thank you, thank you!" She cried, throwing her arms around Frederick again. "You're okay. Oh Fiyero I thought I'd lost you!"

He pulled away, getting up, leaving her on the ground at his feet.

"You must have me confused with someone else. I'm sorry." He said, gathering the lantern and turning back to return to the cottage. No use searching for Ela tonight, not in this storm.

"Wait! Wait! I know it's you! Fiyero, please! I can't lose you! Not again!" She dashed after him, her eyes filling with tears.

* * *

"Where are you taking me?" Ela demanded, as they ran through the woods. "Let go!"

The Scarecrow didn't reply. They ran for what seemed like hours, until he stopped.

"Where are we?" She asked. He looked at her.

"Don't you remember Elphaba?"

"No! I don't because I'm NOT ELPHABA!"

He smiled at her, pulling her close.

"We're at the cornfield."

"Cornfield?" She asked, looking at him strangely. He nodded, laughing manically.

"Where Nessa died."


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: Are they in a past Oz? Or did they meet there split personalities?**

**Answer: You'll see....**

**Question: why is he acting so insane?**

**Answer: you'll see....**

**Question: Is scarecrow going to act bipolar when he meets his equivalent of Elphaba, the one that Fiyero found?**

**Answer: you'll see....**

**Question: Is Glinda coming too? If she is, is it the same one as she had seen in New York or another time-loop person?**

**Answer: yes, she's coming, and as for the type of person, well, you'll find out....**

**Thanks to missabnormal6241, lizziemagic, Elphiethegood, ghostly bender, and Elphaba1Fan for reviewing 41.**

Eliana paled.

"N...Nessa?" She asked, taking a deep breath, turning, seeing the death play over and over again in her mind. Finally, she shook her head.

No! None of this was real! It was all a dream! An elaborate dream her mind had thought up in her sleep-induced haze. Watch, she'd open her eyes, and she would be back in their bed in their apartment in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, with Frederick sleeping peacefully next to her, his arm draped over her waist, their bodies spooning together.

When she opened her eyes, she was still in the cornfield, still in Oz, still with the Scarecrow. Her bedroom, her apartment, her children, her husband, her career, her perfect life, perfect family, _perfect marriage_ was gone- shattered into a million pieces. She pulled away, backing up, her eyes on his. He was insane. Absolutely insane.

* * *

Dee looked up, seeing Frederick hurry into the cottage and slam the door.

"Frederick, what's wrong? Did you find Ela?" Ske asked, hurrying to him. He shook his head, unable to speak. The pounding on the door answered. "Then who's-"

"Fiyero! Please! I know it's you! Please, let me in so we can talk!" Dee's heart perked up when she heard the voice.

"You didn't find Ela. Honestly Frederick, you're making it look like you don't want to find your wife." Dee said, gently pushing past him. He grabbed her wrist when she reached for the doorknob.

"Dee don't. You don't know who that is--"

"Of course I do! It's Ela!"

"No! That's not Eliana! Dee!"

She pulled away from him, pulling the door open, and Dee came face to face not with her Eliana.

But with Elphaba.

* * *

"Mama!" Jason rushed to the woman standing in the doorway, throwing his arms around her waist. Elphaba looked down at the boy around her waist. She looked back at Frederick, before removing the boy's arms and pushing him away. "But Mama--"

"I don't know who you are, but I'm not your Mama." She told him. Then, she grabbed Frederick's hand. "Come on Fiyero, let's go." The man didn't move. "Fiyero!"

"I'm not your Fiyero."

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not. Your 'Fiyero' is out there somewhere, holding my wife hostage!" He screamed, pulling away from the woman.

"Wait.....Frederick......do you mean...are you....is this...." Sky tried hard putting a complete sentence together between looking at Frederick and Elphaba. "Who are you?"

She pulled herself to her full height.

"I'm Elphaba. Elphaba Thropp."

* * *

The lights of the Emerald City glittered in the night like sequins. Sniffling, the woman went to the window, watching the lights glitter below. The Emerald Palace was silent, the only occupant up standing at the windows. She sniffled, turning from the window and going to her closet. Pulling the door open, she slipped inside, finally finding what she was searching for. Slowly, she pulled it out, and sat on the floor, opening the dusty cover.

_The Grimmerie._

Finally, she found the spell she was looking for. Taking a deep breath, she read the words silently, reaching for her wand.

It was time to clear Elphie's name.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 42.**

"What did you say?" Sky asked, coming up to the woman.

Elphaba eyed her for a moment, before turning back to Frederick. Reaching out, she grasped his hand.

"Fiyero. Please. Come back with me." He pulled away from her, seeing nothing but insanity in her eyes.

"No."

"Who are you? Seriously?" Elphaba turned back to Sky, taking slowly, even steps towards the girl.

"I told you. And who are you?" Sky didn't answer.

"Never mind that. What does your Fiyero look like?" Taye asked. Elphaba turned back to look at them.

"He looks like you." She said, moving to Frederick and reaching up to cup his face.

"Is he a scarecrow?" Sky asked. Elphaba shook her head.

"No. Why?"

* * *

Delaney followed Brr through the woods, until they came to a village. She stopped, amazed at the little cottages and shops.

"Where are we?" She asked, following Brr.

"Arkinta. The Animal's Village." He said, as Delaney hurried to catch up. As they made it to a house, Brr asked, "What are your parents' names?"

"Um....Eliana and Frederick." She said. "Why? Brr?"

The Lion stopped, starring at her.

"Elphaba and Fiyero."

"What did you say?"

"Elphaba and Fiyero."

"Yeah, my parents played those characters in _Wicked_ on Broadway years ago. Why?" She asked.

"No reason. Come on." And he led her to a house, pushing the door open. "Mersenia, I'm back, and I brought a visitor." Delaney looked up, as a Goat came into the living room.

"Who Brr?" She stopped, seeing Delaney. "A human!"

"Mersi, what's--" An elderly Goat came in, joining the three. His eyes focused on Delaney. "Elphaba."

"No Dr. But, I have a feeling she is Elphaba's child." Brr said.

"Please, come in." Mersenia said, as she went into the kitchen and fixed tea. Slowly, Laney entered the house, standing awkwardly in the living room.

"How can you be sure she is Elphaba's?" The Dr. asked. He looked at Delaney. "Please, sit."

Slowly, she did, on the edge of the sofa, as the Goat sat on the other end. Brr took one of the arm chairs, and when Mersenia returned with tea, she took the opposite arm chair.

"Look at her eyes. Only Elphaba had eyes that dark. And her hair."

"There have been several raven-haired children in Oz over the last few years, Brr."

"Ask her who her parents are." The Goat sighed, befor doing as instructed.

"Who are your parents?"

"Um....." Delaney licked her lips. "Eliana and Frederick Tipton. They're actors on Broadway."

"Eliana! Elphaba! Frederick! Fiyero!" Brr said.

"It can't be true. Elphaba and Fiyero are dead. They've been dead for years." The Goat said. Brr growled. He glanced at Laney, noticing something.

"Where did you get that?" He asked, pointing to the necklace around her neck. Laney looked down at the angel wings.

"This? My parents gave it to me for my birthday. Why?" Brr looked to the Goat.

"Defy gravity." Brr said. "Elphaba defied gravity."

"That's what Mama told me." They turned to Laney. "She told me that they gave me this so I could defy gravity." She held the necklace in her hand, looking down at it. The Animals shared a look.

"She's Elphaba's." Brr said.

* * *

Eliana backed up. She had to get out of here, or the Scarecrow was going to kill her. When he'd moved to the cornfield, looking for something, Ela saw this as her chance. Taking it, she snuck off, getting a good distance away before breaking into a run. She heard him behind her, chasing after her. She rushed through the woods, not caring where she was going, just as long as it was far away from the Scarecrow.

Finally, she came across a small village. Not even thinking twice, she rushed to the only house with a light on, and pounded on the door.

* * *

A pounding sounded on the door, and everyone looked up. Brr's ears pricked up, and he looked at the Goats. There could only be one culprit- the Gale Force.

But how had they found Arkinta? Silent, Brr moved to the door, listening. The rain pounded outside, echoing the pounding on the door.

* * *

No answer. Finally, too exhausted to pound anymore, Eliana turned, leaning with her back against the door. She closed her eyes briefly, before opening them and looking out into the pouring rain. She saw the figure coming towards her.

The Scarecrow.

He was advancing, fast. She pressed herself against the door, and screamed.

* * *

The scream on the other end of the door roused everyone but Laney to their feet.

Brr knew that sound. It was distressed, scared. Endangered.

Thinking quickly, he pulled the door open, revealing a young woman, dressed in the same clothes as Laney, with long, raven hair plastered to her forehead. She turned, and screamed, seeing the Lion standing in the doorway. Brr looked up, seeing the Scarecrow, and grabbed Ela's arm, pulling her inside and slamming the door. Once she was inside, the Lion led her to the sofa, sitting her down, before asking the female Goat to get a cup of broth.

Ela was in shock, silent. Shaking. She didn't look around, but soon, turned, her eyes taking everything in. The last thing she saw, was Brr, and an old Goat, holding a cup of steaming broth out to her.

"Here you go, dear, this will warm those shaking bones of yours." The Goat said.

It was the last thing Eliana heard before she collapsed.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: Is that Doctor Dillamond? Didn't he lose the power to speak? And if that was Glinda at the end of the last chapter, doesn't she not get the Grimmerie until after Elphaba 'melts'? And isn't the Lion not on Elphaba's side?**

**Answer: you'll find out....**

**Question: I'm guessing the slightly insane Fiyero and Elphaba are their split personalites? Like the part them that was their old selves coming to life? And how did the Animals know Ela and Fredrick's fake names?**

**Answer: yep, Fiyero and Elphaba are Eliana and Frederick's split personalities. They're their old selves coming to life. And as for the Animals, you'll find out....**

**Thanks to lizziemagic, missabnormal6241, and ghostly bender for reviewing 44.**

Eliana awoke to the feel of someone running their fingers through her hair. It was soothing and gentle at the same time, like Frederick would do at night as she slept in his arms. She sighed, turning her head.

"Frederick." Came her soft breath. Laney smiled. Only her mother would breathe her father's name while she slept. Laney knew that when her parents were working in separate shows, or one was on tour, that her mother slept in one of her father's shirts and a pair of his boxers. She remembered seeing Mama come downstairs in the morning, dressed in that ensemble, her feet in her husband's slippers, her hair tangled down her back. It was a comfort, a security blanket when her father was away on tour. Now, she watched her mother, peacefully alseep on the sofa in the Goat's house, breathing her father's name.

After a few moments, Eliana's dark eyes opened, and her gaze rested on the overgrown cat in front of her.

"Ahh, she's awake."

That was funny, it sounded like the cat had just talked. She looked around, seeing the Lion, and two Goats. Slowly, she sat up.

"What....what happened?" She asked.

"You fainted, dear. But you're okay now. I think it's best if you had something to eat. Here, drink up all this good broth, my dear, it'll warm you." One of the Goats said, handing her a bowl and spoon. Slowly, and with shaky hands, Eliana took the bowl, the china shaking in her hands.

"Here. Let me." Another pair of hands reached out, taking the bowl and spoon from her. Slowly, Ela looked up, her eyes locking with mossy green ones. Green eyes she hadn't seen in days, eyes she missed more than anything, eyes she loved more than life itself. Her own eyes widened, and she gasped.

"L....Laney?" She whispered. Soft, pink lips curved into small smile, and the girl nodded.

"Hi Mama." The whisper of her daughter's voice sent every emotion she'd been feeling for the last few days crashing down on her. Letting out a cry, she leaned forward, throwing her arms around her daughter and pulling her to her. Laney moved the bowl to avoid spilling, and Mersenia took it, setting it on the table as the girl wrapped her arms around her mother. Ela held her child close, burying her face in her daughter's black hair, tears coursing down her cheeks. It was all Laney could do to keep from sobbing. "I love you, Mama."

It'd been so long since Ela had heard Laney call her 'Mama' that all she could do was sob, kissing her daughter's black curls. She pulled her child closer, relishing in the feel of her child back in her arms, and, in a voice thick with tears, whispered,

"I thought we'd lost you. Oh God, I thought we'd lost you." She kissed her daughter's hair, digging her fingers into her daughter's curls, as Laney snuggled closer, her arms tight around her mother.

"I'm sorry Mama, I'm so sorry." She sobbed, burying her face in her mother's chest. The sound of her mother's heart beating against her ribs, told her that she wasn't dreaming, wasn't imagining the feel of her mother's arms around her. She snuggled close, burying her face in her mother's chest, the feel of her mother's hands on her back comforting. "I love you, Mama."

"I love you too, baby girl. I love you too."

The Animals watched the reunion between mother and daughter, tears in their eyes. They heard Ela's chant, saw Laney snuggle closer. When their sobs finally quieted, Mersi brought the bowl back to the two. Laney was sitting wrapped in her mother's arms; she reached out, taking the bowl from the Goat. Then, she reached up, wiping a tear off her mother's pearl cheek.

"Laney, I can...." Ela started, reaching for the bowl; her mirror image held it away from her, shaking her head.

"Mama let me. You've taken care of me for sixteen years, let me take care of you." She whispered. Ela sighed, nodding sightly, as she leaned back, closing her eyes briefly. "Mama." Her dark eyes opened, and she looked at her daughter, who held the broth in her hand.

"All right. Fine." And she sat up, as her daughter snuggled closer, sinking the spoon into the bowl. She brought the spoon out of the liquid, then moved it and the bowl closer to her mother.

"Go on, open up." Chuckling softly, Ela did as told, allowing her daughter spoon feed her. The Animals watched, all moved to tears as daughter took care of mother, making sure she got warm. When Ela had finished the broth, Laney set the bowl and spoon on the table, and snuggled into her mother's arms. She reached up, playing with the black Wicked Witch's hat with the green Swarovski crystals necklace that hung around her mother's neck. Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye had gotten the necklace for her mother not long after she'd gotten the role of Elphaba in _Wicked_. A pair of black drop earrings went with the necklace, which Ela also wore. It was then that the Animals decided to join in. The two Tipton women looked up when they took their seats.

"Thank you." Ela whispered, not letting go of her daughter.

"You're welcome my dear." Mersi said, taking the bowl and spoon in the kitchen. Ela looked back at Laney.

"That...that goat....."

"I know Mama." Laney said, reaching up and taking her mother's hand in hers, lacing their fingers.

"If you don't mind my asking," The Lion began. "Who are you?" Ela looked up, meeting the Lion's eyes.

"I...I'm....I'm.....I'm Laney's.....I'm her mother." Laney seemed to confirm this, snuggling deeper into her mother's embrace.

"What's your name?" Brr asked.

"E...El...."

"Elphaba?" She shook her head.

"Eliana."

* * *

Later that night, Ela came into the spare bedroom the Animals had set her and Laney up in. She stood in the doorway, watching her daughter lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. After a few moments, Laney looked at her mother.

"Mama? What are you doing?"

"Just came in to wish you goodnight." Ela said, moving to the bed and sitting next to her daughter. She reached out as Laney sat up, brushing her daughter's hair behind her ear, and leaning over, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. Then, she pulled away, getting up and going to the door.

"Mama?"

"Hmm?"

"Stay with me? Please?" Sighing, Ela climbed under the covers, and snuggled close to her daughter. Laney burrowed into her mother's embrace, breathing in her scent. "Mama?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what, baby girl?"

"For calling you and Daddy liars and for running away. And for upsetting you. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry, Mama. Really sorry." Tears slid down her cheeks. Ela sighed, running her fingers through her daughter's hair.

"It's all right, baby. Daddy and I weren't honest with you. We should have been honest from the start, but....we were so caught up in....life...."

"Life?" Laney asked, looking at her mother. Ela nodded.

"Yes. Our careers, our marriage. Our babies. We had four beautiful babies, and life....just got out of hand. I'm sorry." Laney sighed, snuggling into her mother's arms.

"It's not your fault, Mama. It's mine. I shouldn't have said the things I said, and I'm sorry for running away." At this, Laney burst into sobs, and Ela pulled her daughter closer, cradling her in her arms, whispering softly to her.

"Shh. Hush baby girl. Hush. It' all right, my baby. It's all right. We're together again, that's all that matters. And when we get out of here, we'll find Daddy, and Auntie Dee, and Uncle Taye, Sky, and Kevin and the kids, and we'll go home. I promise." Laney didn't ask, just sobbed harder. "Hush baby." Seeing that her daughter was determined to cry herself sick, Ela sang the first thing that came to her mind.

_"I've heard it said  
That people come into our lives for a reason  
Bringing something we must learn  
And we are led  
To those who help us most to grow  
If we let them  
And we help them in return  
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true  
But I know I'm who I am today  
Because I knew you"_

Laney turned her eyes to her mother's.

"That's the wrong verse, Mama."

"Is it, Laney?" The girl nodded. "And why is that?"

"You don't play Glinda in _Wicked_. You play Elphaba." Ela chuckled.

"You're right. It is the wrong part. Shall I start again or continue?"

"Continue." Laney asked.

_"It well may be  
That we will never meet again  
In this lifetime  
So let me say before we part  
So much of me  
Is made of what I learned from you  
You'll be with me  
Like a handprint on my heart  
And now whatever way our stories end  
I know you have re-written mine  
By being my friend:  
Like a ship blown from its mooring  
By a wind off the sea  
Like a seed dropped by a skybird  
In a distant wood  
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?  
But because I knew you:"_

_"Because I knew you." _

Ela looked down, meeting her daughter's eyes. Laney hand her mother's voice, and her father's sense of humor. She was a truly gifted young actress, and, like her mother, loved the stage.

_"I have been changed for good."_

She chuckled gently, returning to the song.

_"And just to clear the air  
I ask forgiveness  
For the things I've done you blame me for"_

Soon, they finished the song, laughing gently.

"I love you, Mama." Ela sighed, kissing her daughter's hair and holding her close.

"I love you too, baby girl. I love you, too."

* * *

Mersi returned to the living room. She watched Brr and the Dr. converse softly together before breaking in.

"So, Dr. Dillamond, what's your verdict?" They looked at her.

"It.... is Elphaba. Her likeness is....uncanny. And that child. That child is hers. Did you notice, she looks like Elphaba."

"But are you sure it's Elphaba?" Mersi asked. Dr. Dillamond sighed. After Elphaba had freed him from the Wizard's clutches, Dr. Dillamond had run into the woods around the City, and come upon Mersenia. She had taken him to Arkinta, and slowly, he had regained his speech. Now, he contemplated the return of his favorite student. Only she wasn't the student he remembered: gone was her green skin and awkwardness, replaced with pearl skin and confidence, maturity. And that child. That child had to be Elphaba's. She looked so much like Elphaba, and Elphaba had responded and cradled her like she would a child.

Watching them on the sofa, hearing their voices, there was no mistaking it.

Elphaba was back.


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: Fredrick and Eliana don't remember who they were, but a few chapters ago Fredrick started telling Aria, Spencer and Jason about their true past from Oz. So Fredrick remembers and not Eliana?**

**Answer: Okay, up until Laney discovered the chest, NEITHER Frederick nor Eliana remembered their pasts. They basically developed amnesia over the last few years, becoming so _immersed_ in their lives in New York, that Oz seemed like an elaborate fantasy to them- like _Wicked_. To them, _Wicked_ and _The Wizard of Oz_ are the only things about Oz that they know about, like us- it's just a fairytale for children. So when Laney finds the chest, they're both basically in shock about the whole thing, still refusing to believe that Oz- their past- exists. It's basically denial. So when they get to Oz, and meet the Scarecrow, at first, they don't know what to think. When he (Scarecrow) reveals that he's Fiyero- Frederick's 'counterpart'- Frederick is basically forced to face their past- especially when Ela is taken. With Ela taken hostage, it falls to him to be the 'bearer of bad news', and so he finally has to face the reality that he's forgotten all these years- that no matter how far they run, neither he or Ela can escape Oz. As for Ela, her amnesia is still intact, she still believes that Oz is a fantasy world, and that this is all some wild, out of hand fairytale.**

**Question: It really HAS been 16 or 17 years since Ela and Yero left Oz and its been 16 or 17 years for Dr. Dillomand and Everybody else?**

**Answer: Yes, it's been 16 or 17 years since they left Oz because Laney turned sixteen in May, and it's been 16 or 17 years for Dr. Dillamond and everyone else because not long after Ela and Yero left, Glinda disposed of the Wizard and Morrible. **

**Question: But then why is there a young Elphaba and Fiyero running around? What did you mean in the authors note "split personalities"?**

**Answer: Basically, when Eliana and Frederick left Oz, they left their pasts behind, basically becoming blank canvases when they got to New York. And Elphaba and Fiyero are their pasts, that basically splintered off from Ela and Jason when they left.**

**Question: And IS she Pregnant, cuz u just keep saying "you'll see... you'll find out... later on..."**

**Answer: Is she pregnant _now_? No. Later on? Possibly.....**

**Thanks to lizziemagic and missabnormal6241 for reviewing 44.**

Laney awoke the next morning, snuggled in her mother's arms. She looked up, seeing her mother asleep beside her. Slowly, she reached up, playing a stray strand of her mother's black hair. It was the first peaceful night's sleep her mother had gotten in days, and Laney couldn't help wondering if it was because of her that her mother slept so peacefully. Soon however, her mother awoke, her dark eyes slowly opening to see her daughter in her arms. She smiled down at her daughter, who snuggled closer.

"Morning baby girl. Did you sleep well?" Laney nodded.

"Did you?" Ela nodded, stretching.

"Best sleep I've gotten in...weeks." She said, sitting up. Slowly, Laney joined her mother, resting her head on her mother's breast.

"Mama?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry."

Ela sighed, rubbing her daughter's arm.

"It's okay."

The girl looked up at her.

"No, it's not, Mama."

"Yes it is." Ela said, squeezing her daughter gently.

"No, Mama. It's not. I....I'm sorry. For everything. For....causing all this." She pulled away, getting out of bed and going to the window. "It's my fault. I.....I'm nothing but a curse. You and Daddy would be so happier if I wasn't around. If I'd never been born." Slowly, Laney wrapped her arms around herself, her shoulder shaking. Ela got up and went to her daughter, wrapping her in her arms.

"Hush, baby. Now listen to me. And listen good. Okay?" Laney nodded. "It's not your fault. We should have told you sooner. And you are not a curse. You're the reason Daddy and I decided to have Jason and the twins. We wanted you to have siblings. We wanted you. And when you were born....it was....one of the best days of our lives." The girl turned to look at her mother.

"Really?" Ela nodded.

"I remember the night you were born. It was....long and painful, but....so....so rewarding." She told the girl, holding her close.

_"All I need is one more strong, good push Ela, and your baby will be here." _

_"Push sweetheart! You're doing great!"_

_"Shut up Fiyero!" Elphaba screamed. She took a deep breath, gave another strong, hard push, followed by a scream, and then she heard a baby's cry. As she took a deep breath, she saw Dr. Hanson holding a crying newborn up for them to see._

_"It's a girl!"_

_"A girl? Oh god, Yero, we have a daughter!" _

_"She's beautiful." Elphaba said, as she looked at her husband. She held her daughter close, and kissed her husband._

_"She's got a head of raven hair. Like her mother." Taye said, pulling Dee into his arms._

_"And blue eyes." Elphaba said._

_"Brown eyes." Fiyero corrected. Dee leaned forward, a smile on her face._

_"Looks like her eyes are going to be neither brown or blue, but moss green." Dee said, as Elphaba and Fiyero looked down at the baby. Indeed, her eyes were a light green. Elphaba felt a small smile form on her lips._

_"What's her name?" Dee asked. Elphaba thought a moment._

_"I don't know, I never--"_

_"Delaney." Elphaba looked up at her husband._

_"What?"_

_"How about Delaney?"_

_"Delaney." Elphaba repeated, testing it. "I like it." Then, the she looked down at her daughter._

_"Delaney. Delaney.....Delaney Kim Tipton."_

"Daddy picked out your name."

"What?" Ela pulled away from her daughter and sat on the bed, Laney next to her.

"Daddy.....picked your name."

"He did?" Ela nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah. We....we hadn't even thought of names. We were so busy....preparing that....naming you just....slipped our minds. But.....when you were laid in my arms, and I saw your eyes, and I felt you grab my finger.....I....I tried so hard to think of a name. And then Daddy said, "How about Delaney?" and....the first thing that....I thought was.....it's perfect. It fit. And.....and I knew that.....I needed something that would be equally perfect. And that's when I thought of Auntie Dee."

"But, my middle name isn't Idina."

"You're right, it's not. But it's Kim. And Kim is Auntie Dee's middle name, isn't it?" Laney nodded. "So I figured that.....it'd be your middle name to. I figured it'd be perfect. And it was. My little Delaney Kim." Laney smiled, reaching up to cover her mother's hand. She pressed her cheek into her mother's palm, closing her eyes, before placing herself in her mother's arms.

"I love you, Mama."

Ela sighed, her heart fluttering at those words.

"I love you too, Delaney. I love you too."

* * *

The Animals looked up, to see Eliana and Delaney come into the living room.

"Ahh, you're up." Ela nodded, as Laney snuggled close. "Well, have some breakfast. It's not much, but it's something. And you need something in your stomachs, both of you. Sit. Eat." Mersi said, placing two plates at the kitchen table. Slowly, the Tipton women sat down, and slowly, started eating. The Animals watched them, silent.

"So, what exactly do you do again?" Brr asked. Better to start with polite conversation instead of the heavy stuff. Warm her up to him, and then go in for the kill- so to speak. Ela swallowed, setting her fork down and wiping her mouth with her napkin. The Animals had settled at the table, coffee in front of them.

"Um....I'm an actress. Broadway. A Broadway actress."

"What's.....Braway?" Brr asked, intrigued. Ela bit her lip.

"Broadway. Not Braway. Broadway." She corrected. "It's....this long strip of theaters in New York. New York is a state." She said, clarifying. "It's where.....we perform stage shows."

"Like theater?" Brr asked.

"Yes! Musical theater."

"And you're married?" Dr. Dillamond asked. Eliana nodded.

"Frederick. Tipton. My husband and I work together on Broadway. That's how we met. In college. We both got majors in Science and theater, but....when we got New York we decided to work on Broadway permanently."

"Where did you go to school?"

"UNO. University of New Orleans, Louisiana. I'm from Louisiana. New Orleans. It's a city in one of the Southern states in the U.S." Ela said, her accent inserting itself. The Animals listened intently. "Um....we....Frederick and I.....we.....fell in love. After we graduated, we.....left Louisiana, and.....went to New York. Got married and had....had...." Ela looked to Laney; the Animals caught the look she threw the girl.

"You had your cub?" Brr asked. Ela turned back to him, nodding slowly. "Is she," He nodded to Laney. "Your cub?" Another nod.

"Yes, she's my child." Ela whispered.

"Your only?" Ela shook her head.

"No. I have three others. Twins- a boy and girl- and another son. Four. I have four. Two boys and two girls."

"Are they like you?" Ela's brow furrowed.

"I don't.....understand...."

"Are they of two worlds?" Brr asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ela said.

"Do they have your powers?"

* * *

Elphaba looked at them like they were all insane.

"Why would he be a scarecrow? He's not a scarecrow. Fiyero's as human as you or I."

"When did you last see him?" Dee asked. Elphaba's face became cloudy, before the clouds disappeared.

"At the cornfield. After Nessa's death. That _bitch _Glinda let that brat Dorothy get away with Nessa's shoes." She let out a cackle, so much like Ela's laugh, except it was laced with bitterness. "And then she had the audacity to say that Nessa deserved it, although not in so many words. I think it was something about a regime change...."

"'Caused by a bizzare and unexpected twister of fate?'"

Everyone turned to Dee. Elphaba nodded.

"Yes. How did you--"

"Lucky guess." Dee replied.

"Fiyero. You were getting to him." Sky interrupted.

"Right. We....we fought...Glinda and I. And then....the Gale Force showed up. They captured me, and.....just as they were about to.....Fiyero showed up, brandishing a rifle. He....ordered them to let me go, which they did, and then he told me to flee. I didn't want to until he ordered me to. So I fled. The last thing I remember seeing is.....him being tied to.....to a shaft and....and being placed in the cornfield....."

"And then you cast the spell?"

Elphaba looked up, nodding.

"How did you--"

"Lucky guess."

"But....it didn't backfire. Everything I do backfires. That spell didn't." She turned to Frederick.

"Don't touch my Daddy! Mama won't like it!" They all turned, to see Aria rush forward, planting herself firmly between Elphaba and Frederick. Her arms went around his waist, and she glared at Elphaba.

* * *

"Powers? What do you mean 'powers'?" Ela demanded.

Brr and the Goats looked at each other.

"You're a witch, Elphaba."

"What did you call me?"

"You're a witch. The Wicked Witch of the West."


	46. Chapter 46

****

Chapter 46.

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: when will Eliana realize her past?**

**Answer: not for a while, a lot has to happen before she realizes her past.....**

**Thanks to missabnormal6241 and lizziemagic for reviewing 45.**

Ela choked on her tea.

"I....I'm sorry. What did you call me?" She asked.

"The Wicked Witch of the West."

"Wh...what do you mean 'The Wicked Witch of the West'. I'm not the Wicked Witch of the West. _Yes_, I played the Wicked Witch of the West in _Wicked_ and that's what I'm known for, but I'm _not_ the Wicked Witch of the West." Ela replied, looking at the Animals.

"What is...._Wicked_?" Dr. Dillamond asked. Ela looked at Laney.

"Well, Wicked is this.....this musical. Originally, it was a novel. It's....about the Wicked Witch of the West and how she came to be. It's quite a hit on Broadway." Ela said, locking eyes with Laney. The young girl got up, moving to sit next to her mother. They laced hands, and Ela squeezed her daughter's hand gently.

"So it was a musical?" Mersi asked. The actress nodded.

"Yes."

"And, what was the character's name? The Wicked Witch of the West?" Brr asked.

"Um...." Ela shifted, biting her lip. "Well, the character's name is....um....El.....Elphaba Thropp."

"Wait. What did you say the character's name was?" Dr. Dillamond asked.

Eliana swallowed.

"Elphaba Thropp."

* * *

She went over everything she was going to say to the people of Oz.

She knew that it was up to them to decide if they believed her or not, and if they didn't, well, then that was their problem.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to the vanity, where Elphie's hat sat on the vanity table. Going over, she picked it up, hugging it close.

"Please forgive me, Elphie."


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to lizziemagic and Elphiethegood for reviewing 46.**

The Animals looked at the woman. She met their eyes, unused to being the center of such _unwanted _attention.

"What?"

"You said that the 'character' was named Elphaba. Correct?" Dr. Dillamond asked slowly. Ela nodded.

"Yes. Why?"

"That can't be right." Mersi said. Ela looked at her funny.

"Why can't it?"

"Because, we told you. You're Elphaba." The woman shook her head.

"No. I'm not. I'm not Elphaba." She said, getting up. She set the plate in the sink, and then disappeared into the bedroom. She came back fifteen minutes later- dressed- and stormed to the door.

"Where are you going? Mama?" Laney asked, watching her mother.

"Back to your father!" Ela cried, pulling the door open and storming out. Laney looked around, before rushing to the bedroom. She changed quickly, before chasing after her mother.

"Mama! Mama!" She followed, the Animals behind her. As Laney chased her mother through Arkinta, she couldn't help feeling like she'd been chasing for answers ever since she turned sixteen. _"Mama!"_

_"What?" _Ela screamed, turning on her daughter. She instantly regretted it, seeing the tears in Laney's eyes. "Oh Laney. Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you." She said, going to her daughter and pulling her into her arms. Gently, she rubbed her daughter's back; the teenager was so strung from the last few days that she was frustrated and scared. She buried her face in her mother's chest, clinging to her. When Laney finally calmed down, Ela pulled away, looking into her daughter's eyes and wiping the tears away. "Come on. Let's go back. Daddy's probably worried sick."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go look for my husband!" Ela cried, stalking off, pulling her daughter behind her.

* * *

"Mama?" Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "Who's Mama?"

"None of your business!" Aria snapped. She snuggled closer to her father, glaring possessively at Elphaba.

"Well, since you won't tell me who your Mama is, can I ask who your Daddy is?" Elphaba asked, kneeling in front of Aria. The thriteen-year-old narrowed her eyes.

"Daddy, I don't like her. She's trying to take Mama's place." Aria said, turning back to her father. Elphaba quickly made the connection.

"Fiyero's your father?" She whispered, moving closer. Frederick clenched his jaw.

"I'm. Not. Fiyero!" He snapped. He pulled away from Elphaba, pulling Aria with him. She clung to her father for dear life. Gently, he let go of Aria, grabbed his knapsack, and went to the door.

"Daddy! Where are you going?" Spencer asked. Frederick turned back to everyone. The storm had stopped, it was now late afternoon the next day.

"I'm going to find Mama."

"Daddy!" Aria rushed to him, grabbing his hand. "I want to come."

"We should go look for her now that the storm's stopped." Dee said, ushering the others to the door. As they left the cottage and started walking, Aria slipped her hand into her father's, and whispered,

"Daddy. I'm scared. I don't like her. She scares me." He looked down at her, meeting her dark eyes. Then, he scooped her up, hugging her. Aria cuddled into her father's embrace.

"She scares me too, sugar cookie."

They walked for a few hours, before stopping to rest. Frederick sat thinking of the best way to find Ela, when a pair of small arms wrapped around his neck. He looked up, seeing Aria standing over him.

"Hi Daddy."

"Hey sugar cookie." She sat next to him, snuggling into his side.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you miss Mama?" He met her eyes, and nodded.

"Very much."

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"When did you realize you wanted to be a Daddy?" Frederick thought about the question for a moment, a smile coming to his face as he looked down into his youngest daughter's eyes.

"I guess....I realized I wanted to be a Daddy when I met Mama. I fell in love with her and wanted to spend every waking moment with her. I wanted to marry her and make her my wife and make her a mother. I wanted to give her the most beautiful babies this side of the Hudson. And I did."

Aria smiled.

"Really Daddy?"

"Really."

She threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. He barely caught his baby girl's whispered, shaky statement.

"I love you, Daddy."

A small smile gracing his lips, he rubbed her back, gently stroking her hair, and kissed her temple; pulling her into his lap like he used to when she was a toddler. Ari snuggled down, her fingers wrapping around the buttons on his shirt, like her mother would do. Kissing the top of her head once again, he whispered,

"I love you too, Aria."


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 47.**

Laney raced to catch up to Ela.

This was bad. _Very_ bad.

Mama was pissed. And you did_ not_ cross Mama whenever she was angry. _Daddy_ wouldn't even cross her. That's how scary it was to be around her when she was angry.

"Hurry up, Delaney! Don't drag your feet!"

Quickly, the girl raced after her.

"Sorry Mama."

Ela ignored her. She was too worried about finding her husband, too worried about that fucking scarecrow. The next time she saw him- and hopefully she'd be near a book of matches- she'd set him on fire and let him smolder to sweet smelling ash. It would be the least she could do after the hell he put her through.

"I said hurry up! If you're going to drag your feet, you can stay with the animals, Delaney Kim!"

The girl winced.

Scratch that, Mama wasn't pissed-

She was stark raving mad.

As mad as Madame Morrible, her director would joke- referencing Madame Morrible- the novel version. And he was right. Mama did have sort of a mad look about her; in fact, Laney thought her mother was going slightly insane. Her long black hair was in wild waves down her back, she was shaking from stress, and her eyes had a spark of madness to them. Laney gripped her mother's hand, feeling her heart leap into her throat.

"Mama--Mama! Can we slow down? You're going too fast!"

Ela ignored her.

"When I find your father..... he had better _FUCKIN'_ run! Because I'm going to kill him! Thanks to him and his..... _appetites_..... one- _ONE-_ night, followed by_ nine months_ of morning sickness, obsene cravings, swollen ankles and weight gain.....and then it all ends with three fucking days of pushing and breathing- which doesn't help, no matter _what _they say- only to expel a small human being the size of a small watermelon out through my birth canal....don't get me wrong, I love being a mother.....but when I see Daddy, he's going to wish he'd _never _impregnated me......I could just....."

Laney eventually tuned her mother out, leaving her to rant and rave to herself. She knew her mother could go on for hours if you let her, so she let her. Better for Ela to rant and rave instead of bottling it up inside. She sighed, Daddy was going to get it. Big time.

* * *

Frederick and the others continued down the Yellow Brick Road, searching for Ela. After two hours, Dee asked everyone to stop and catch their breath.

Elphaba kept to herself, muttering something about mispronounced spells of_ mumble mumble_ _groan. _Everyone looked up when the witch kicked a fence post, screaming. Frederick sighed, and gathered his things.

"How much longer until we reach the city, Dad?" Sky asked, going to Taye and slipping her hand into his as they continued on.

"Not far." He replied.

"How do you know?"

"Look." Everyone stopped, seeing the emerald buildings across from the poppy field.

"Let's go! The sooner we get to the city, the sooner we find Mama and Laney!" Ari cried, rushing through the field, Jason and Spencer following.

"Kids, no, wait!" Letting out a groan, Dee chased after them, as the others watched.

"Why? Why is she always the one to drag us into these situations?" Sky cried, looking at the sky before chasing after her mother, Kevin following. Rolling their eyes, Frederick and Taye chased after the others, leaving Elphaba alone. Finally, the witch looked up, to see the others making their way to the city gates.

"Hey, wait up!"

* * *

"Mama, where are we going?"

"I'm not sure."

"We're lost?"

"No. We just....have to follow the yellow bricks, they'll take us to the east." Ela said, pulling Laney further down the road. They continued walking, until they came to a poppy field, the same field Frederick and the others had come to hours earlier.

"Come on." Without hesitation, Ela dragged her daughter through the field, towards the gates of the city. Once they made it through, Laney clamped onto her mother's arm, following her through the bustling streets of the Emerald City.

"Are we... in the....Emerald City?" Laney asked; silent, Ela nodded. "Mama."

"What?"

"One Short Day?"

Ela rolled her eyes.

"Let's find Daddy first, and then we'll discuss it."

They passed a koisk selling emerald green sunglasses, and Laney talked her mother into buying a couple pairs. Ela rolled her eyes in exasperation, but laughed when her daughter crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out. Moving on, they passed the Emerald Palace, where a crowd was gathered outside the main balcony.

"What's going on?"

"Lady Glinda is about to speak."

"Lady Glinda?" Ela wrinkled her nose, and looked at Laney.

* * *

She took a deep breath, and stepped out onto the balcony. Her eyes scanned the crowd, seeing her subjects. This wasn't right. Elphie should be up here, not her. And that was why she was doing this.

"My fellow Ozians--"

She stopped, her eyes landing on a young woman dressed in foreign clothes. She had long black hair, and pearl skin.

"E--Elphie?"

Quickly, she turned to the guards and asked them to go down and fetch the woman.

* * *

Ela looked up, seeing a man in a green uniform coming towards her. He grabbed her arm, and started dragging her to the palace.

"Hey! Let go!"

"Mama? Mama!" Laney chased after her mother.

"It was Lady Glinda's orders that we fetch you, Miss." One of the guards said.

"Lady Glinda? Who the _fuck_ is Lady Glinda?"

The guards didn't answer.

"Mama!"

Ela looked back, seeing her daughter.

"Laney! Go get help! Go find Daddy!"

"No. I'm not leaving you!"

"Laney, I'm begging you, baby. Please!"

The girl didn't leave, instead rushing to her mother and grabbing her hand. It was then that the guards wrenched the two women apart, pulling Ela into the palace. Her mother's cry echoed in her ears.

_"Please!"_


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to James Birdsong and EleEnchanted for reviewing 48.**

Laney watched her mother disappear behind the doors. After a moment, she rushed towards it, and yanked. Locked. Backing up, she examined the outside of the building. She _had_ to get in there. Mama was in trouble. Letting out a cry, she blinked the tears from her eyes, and raced off through the crowd, hoping beyond hope that Daddy would be here.

* * *

"Let go of me!"

They ignored her pleas, pulling her along. She struggled against them, digging her feet in, pulling until her wrists and arms hurt.

"That's it!"

Before she knew it, one of the guards had picked her up, thrown her over his shoulder, and continued walking.

"Hey! Hey Bozo!_ PUT. ME. DOWN_!" She screamed, kicking and beating. It didn't bother him anyway. When they finally reached a door, he set her down, and pushed the door open.

"In here."

Ela looked up, startled to be back on the ground, and turned, fleeing, when the guard followed and grabbed her around the waist.

_"HELLO! Are you trying to grab my waist or my ass?"_ She cried, as he picked her up, putting her back over his shoulder and carrying her back into the room. Finally, he set her down, the door closing behind them.

Ela backed away from the guard.

"My husband is going to kick your green-clad ass when he finds out _what you grabbed_!" But it was an empty threat. If anything, it gave her a chance to figure out what would happen if she made a run for the door. Her conclusion: Severe beating, possibly sudden death, and the _high _probability of being sat on by Bozo and Dumbo.

"It's about time you got here."

At the voice, Ela turned, seeing the figure facing the window.

* * *

Laney rushed through the crowds of the city, tears streaking down her cheeks. Her chest hurt from her sobs, and her lungs burned. A stitch was starting to form in her side, but she couldn't stop, she had to help Mama.

She had to find Daddy.

She rounded a corner, and slammed into a flower cart, landing hard on her back.

"Ow! As if this day can't get any worse!" She cried, slowly pushing herself to her elbows.

"Laney?"

* * *

Kevin had been the one to spot the collison with the flower cart. He rushed towards it, the others following in tow, and stopped short when he realized _who_ had run into said cart.

"Laney?"

The sixteen-year-old looked up, seeing Kevin standing over her. Slowly, she sat up, as the others gathered around. There was Ari, and Spencer, and Jason. Auntie Dee, and Uncle Taye. Sky, Kevin. Suddenly, her eyes landed on her father.

"D.....Daddy?" She whispered. He hurried to her, as Kevin helped her to her feet. When he got close enough, she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck. Sobs wracked her small frame, and she breathed in the scent she'd missed so much- stage makeup. _"Oh Daddy!"_

All Frederick could do, was hold her. His little girl was back in his arms. Gently, he kissed her hair. After a few moments, he whispered,

"Hush baby, hush. What's wrong? Where's Mama?" Laney sobbed harder. "What is it, baby?" He asked, pulling away and cupping her face in his hands.

"M....M....Mama's....taken....."

"What do you mean, 'taken'?" Dee asked. Laney turned her tear-filled eyes to her aunt.

"Some...men...took her...."

"What did they look like?"

"Big. Tall. G....green uniforms." Laney buried her face in her father's shoulder again. Frederick looked up at them. Slowly, Dee shook her head.

"No. No..."

They all turned, at the sound of Elphaba's voice.

"The Gale Force."

* * *

"I don't know what you want with me, but I... _demand_ that you release me. I have to find my husband and children. We need... to return home."

Slowly, the figure turned from the window.

"Elphie, you _are_ home."


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Was listening to Wickeder on Forbidden Broadway: SVU, and the 'What?' in the second half of the song when Cheno asks Dee to hand over the Tony is what inspired the 'What?' in the second half of this chapter. **

**A/N: The italics are the memories, and they're running one after another- like in movies, when they have the flahbacks that are one right after the other? That's what the memories are doing.**

**Question: And why is Elphaba going insane?**

**Answer: she's stressed and upset, and still convinced that this is a dream....**

**Question: Is she psycodic or is she just having standard pregnancy-related hormone troubles?**

**Answer: you'll find out.....**

**Question: Will Ela get her memories back?**

**Answer: read and find out**

**Question:What will happen to the other Elphaba when that does happen?**

**Answer:**** you'll find out when the other chapters are posted; it's going to take a while....**

**Thanks to lizziemagic and missabnormal6241 for reviewing 49.**

Laney turned.

"Daddy, who's that?"

Frederick turned, seeing Elphaba standing apart from them, watching them. He licked his lips, trying to think of what to say, when Elphaba beat him to it.

"Who are you?"

Slowly, she moved towards them, eyes locked on Laney. The girl burrowed into her father.

"I.....I'm his daughter." She said, as Frederick took her hand, squeezing gently. "Who are you?"

"I'm Elphaba."

"Elphaba?" Laney asked, raising her eyebrows. When the woman nodded, Laney turned to her father.

"Daddy, did she escape from the loony bin?"

* * *

_What_ did she say?

The woman reached up, pressing her fingers against her temples, trying hard to wrap her mind around the words. Finally,

_"What?"_

"You heard me, Elphie."

Ela scoffed.

"Look, I don't know what the_ fuck_ you've been smoking, but I'm _not _home, and I'm _not_ your 'Elphie' whoever _she is_." Ela said, hands on her hips.

"I haven't been smoking anything. And Elphie is you."

"Okay, I don't mean any disrespect when I ask this, but....who the _fuck_ are you?" She demanded. It was then that the woman turned from the window, and took a step towards her.

"I'm Glinda the Good. And you are Elphaba Thropp, my best friend, and the Witch of the West."

Ela's jaw hit the floor. She stared at the woman, who- dressed in a beautiful, frilly blue ballgown, and tiara, blonde hair in curls- moved towards her. On instinct, Ela stepped back, bumping into the guards. They steadied her, as the woman got closer. When they were close, Glinda looked her up and down, before giving her a soft smile.

"It's good to see you again, Elphie." And the wrapped Ela in her arms. The woman took it for a moment, before roughly pulling away.

_"I'M NOT YOUR ELPHIE!"_ She screamed, moving away. She moved away from the guards, closer to one of the windows, as Glinda followed.

"Leave us." The guards did as ordered, and Glinda turned back to Ela.

"You're my Elphie. I know you are, _you_ know you are." When she'd cornered Ela near the desk, she reached out, caressing her cheek, before taking her hand. "Remember Elphie? Remember Shiz? And meeting the Wizard? And running off with Fiyero? And leaving Oz?" Ela pulled back, and moved away from her.

"No. I don't. Because none of that happened. They were all scenes in a musical I was in years ago." She said. Glinda shook her head, following.

"No. They happened. They were real. All of them. You have to remember." Ela had ended up sitting on the sofa, and Glinda joined her, taking her hand. Ela tried pulling away, but Glinda laced their fingers.

It felt like she was being strapped into the electric chair with the switch turned on. A current raced up her arm, and she jumped, before doubling over in pain. Images flashed before her mind, sounds multiplied and screamed in her ears, and her heart felt about to burst.

_"Let's tell secrets!"_

_"Allright--"_

_"Glinda, come with me. Think of what we could do- together."_

_"So, all this time, the two of you- behind me back!" _

_"No! It wasn't like that!"_

_"I love you, Yero."_

_"I love you, Fae." _

_"I only wish…." __Elphaba trailed off, turning to hide her tears. _

_"What?" He asked, taking her shoulders._

_"Glinda could know that we're alive." Elphaba turned, tears in her eyes._

_"All right. But I don't understand." The green witch pulled away, and went to the mirror. Glinda hugged Fiyero, before running and throwing her arms around Elphaba. The green witch hugged her friend close._

_"Kiss me goodbye, my sweet."_

_She took his face in her hands, and kissed him. Gently, passionately, violently. _

_When they pulled apart, Fiyero rested his forehead against Elphaba's._

_"It is you." He whispered. She nodded._

_"Oh Yero, I thought I'd lost you." He kissed her hair._

_"Never love. Never."_

_"I'm not joking. I'm serious." Still laughing, Idina took Elphaba's hand and shook it._

_"Sure."_

_"I'm serious." Elphaba said. The woman stopped laughing when she caught Elphaba's glare._

_"Oh."_

_She closed her eyes briefly, and opened them, nodding to the pianist to start at the marked measure._

_"Hurry up and wait  
So close, but so far away  
Everything that you've always dreamed of  
Close enough for you to taste  
But you just can't touch"_

_"I got the part!" Elphaba screamed, jumping up and down._

_"That's great. Let's head home and tell the others; Dee will be so proud."_

_Once she got to the floor, Fiyero got a good look at her dress. It was a thin spagehetti strap black dress, with black lace on the paisley print bodice. The long black skirt clung to her hips, accenting her curves, and her hair cascaded down her shoulders._

_"Hi Yero." Elphaba whispered._

_"Wow.....you look......wow." He said, taking in his girlfriend's look. She blushed, and lowered her head._

_Gently, he held her against him, and kissed her passionately._

_"I love you, Yero."_

_"I love you." He replied, once they'd broken. Then, they left the cover, continuing down the street. "I love you enough that...I want to spend the rest of my life making love to you. I want a home like Dee and Taye have, one that's always welcome to visitors. I want a family. I want to make you a mother, Fae."_

_She pulled away._

_"Yero, what are you saying?"_

_Licking his lips, he pulled a small, black velvet box out of his pocket, and opened it up. Inside, rested a ring._

_It was only when he took it out and placed it on her finger, did she recognize it as his great-great-great grandmother's ring. The clean, white diamond gleamed in the light._

_"Is that..."_

_"Yes. Elphaba, I love you, with all my heart."_

_"Yes." She helped him to his feet, and met his eyes. "Yero, I've been trying to tell you for the last five minutes."_

_She took his face in her hands and brought his lips closer to hers._

_"Yes. My answer.....is yes."_

_As they kissed, he lifted her off the ground, and spun her around, before setting her down._

_"Yero proposed, and I said yes! We're engaged!"_

_"Congratulations!" Dee said, going over and hugging the two each in turn as they broke apart._

_The second was also an Alita Graham strapless gown, with an A-line dropped waist, made of beautiful tulle fabric._

_"Well?"_

_Dee gave her a small smile._

_"You look gorgeous."_

_"Really?" Elphaba asked, as Dee nodded. Then, she moved to the mirror._

_"Hi. I'm Eliana Mackenzie. I'm playing Elphaba, and one little known fact about me is that my friends call me Elphaba, mainly because when I read the novel version of Wicked, I fell in love with it, and my friends jokingly started calling me Elphaba because my personality resembled the main character. It was the same with Jason, so they started refering to him as Fiyero, and me as Elphaba, and the names just stuck."_

_"Ela? What is it?" Dee asked, getting up from the couch. Elphaba held the script out._

_"Is it true?"_

_"Is what true, honey?"_

_"Is the Wizard really my father?"_

_"Shh. Sweetie.....I'm so sorry. I....." Dee looked up at the others; Taye gently squeezed her shoulder, and knelt down in front of Elphaba._

_"Ela? Honey?" Elphaba burrowed further into Idina; the older woman held her close, protecting her, whispering softly into her hair. Taye watched silently, as his wife's maternal instincts kicked in; she pulled the girl closer, soothing her, treating her like a daughter, being the mother Elphaba had never had; the mother she desparately needed now._

_"No! She's not! Anyone who keeps secrets isn't a best friend!"_

_"Maybe she was trying to protect--"_

_"She wasn't trying to protect me! She wasn't trying to do anything! And it's so typical of her! She'd do anything to further her position. Grovel if she had to. Blackmail. Murder."_

_"But honey--"_

_"No. You don't know her like I do. You don't know Glinda Upland like I do. She's an Upland. And an Upland will do anything to get what she wants. And as far as I'm concerned, she's no longer a friend of mine. As far as I'm concerned, I never met Glinda Upland."_

_Seeing her search, Elphaba pulled a five from her purse, and laid it out on the table._

_"There. Coffee isn't much here, three dollars at most, plus tip."_

_"Thank you." Glinda whispered._

_"Sure thing." Elphaba said, before letting Fiyero help her pull her coat on. They then took hands, and left. Quickly, Glinda followed. She trailed the small group, who parted ways at Fifth Avenue._

_"Ela! You did great!"_

_Elphaba looked up, to see a blur of brown hair and then she felt Dee's arms around her neck._

_"Thanks Dee."_

_Fiyero nodded, smiling at Elphaba._

_"I do."_

_He turned to Elphaba._

_"Eliana, do you, take this man, Frederick, to be your husband, according to God's holy decree; do you promise to be to him a loving and loyal wife, to cherish and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, to be faithful only to him as long as you both shall live?"_

_"I do."_

_"Well, just don't stand there, go on, kiss her."_

_The two relaxed, and Fiyero pulled Elphaba into his arms. She put her arms around his neck, and then their lips met in a gentle kiss that soon turned passionate. Gently, he lifted her off her feet, and continued to kiss her, to applause and cheers. Finally, they pulled away, and turned to their audience. Dee had tears in her eyes. Elphaba took Fiyero's hand, and pulled him towards the back door of the house. When they got to the end of the makeshift aisle Dee and Taye had set up, Fiyero pulled Elphaba into his arms and kissed her deeply, dipping her. Dee's voice caused the couple to break apart._

_"Everyone, enjoy the reception!"_

_The young couple looked back to see Dee and Taye watching them, tears in their eyes. They turned back to each other, and Fiyero scooped Elphaba into his arms and spun her around, to the delight of the guests. Elphaba's laugh echoed through the air, the very example of wedded bliss._

_Finally, Fiyero leaned over and kissed her._

_They tumbled back on the bed, and soon, gave in to the passion they'd been controlling since the wedding._

_Fiyero watched Elphaba open the door to their apartment, and once it was open slightly, he scooped her into his arms, causing her to cry out, and grab at his neck._

_"Yero!" She cried, startled._

_"Yes, my love?" He asked, as he pushed the door open with his hip and entered the apartment, carrying her bridal style._

_"What are you doing?"_

_"Carrying my bride over the threshold." He replied, kissing her. When they pulled away and he set her down, they wrapped their arms around each other and continued the kiss, before the sound of something in the kitchen caused them to break apart._

_Taking a shaky breath, she opened the test....._

_"It says it's......positive." She looked up at Elphaba, who nodded, tears in her eyes. "You're pregnant."_

_"I know." She wiped tears off her cheeks, sniffling._

_"Well, honey, that's great. You're pregnant. That's great." Elphaba shook her head. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy? You're going to have a baby."_

_"I can't."_

_"Yero, could we talk?"_

_"We....we're going to be starting a family very, very soon. Sooner than we hoped. We've....already.....started one.....actually...." She whispered, letting go of her husband's hands and laying her own hands on her stomach. Then, she looked up at Yero with tears in her eyes. "We're having a baby, Yero."_

_His blue eyes flickered with something Elphaba couldn't identify, and then, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and covering his face with his hands. He sighed. Elphaba sat, waiting with bated breath._

_"A baby. Are you sure?" He whispered. Elphaba nodded._

_"I took the test twice. And Dee took me to the doctor this afternoon. She confirmed it. I'm preg....preg....p...pre....pr...." She stammered, she couldn't bring herself to say it._

_"Pregnant?" He offered. She nodded._

_"Yes."_

_He gently cupped her face in his hands._

_"Yes. We can, and we are. We're really having a baby. We'll be fine love. We'll get through this... together."_

_They watched, as the doctor gently moved the ultra monitor around on her stomach, and the image appeared on the screen._

_"There's your baby." The doctor said. A smile broke out on Elphaba's face, and she felt tears prick her eyes._

_She removed her hand from between her legs, and her eyes widened, her mouth open in horror._

_"Honey, what's wrong?" Dee asked, as she and Fiyero knelt next to her, concern in their eyes._

_"My water broke." Elphaba cried, feeling a gush of water run down her thighs._

_"Push sweetheart! You're doing great!"_

_"Shut up Fiyero!"_ _Elphaba screamed. She took a deep breath, gave another strong, hard push, followed by a scream, and then she heard a baby's cry. As she took a deep breath, she saw Dr. Hanson holding a crying newborn up for them to see._

_"It's a girl!"_

_"A girl? Oh god, Yero, we have a daughter!" Elphaba cried, tilting her head to look back at her husband._

_"Delaney." Elphaba repeated, testing it. "I like it." Then, the she looked down at her daughter._

_"Delaney. Delaney....." She thought a moment. "Delaney Kim Tipton."_

_"Look at her. She's our little angel." Elphaba whispered, as Fiyero wrapped her in his arms._

_"She definately is, Ela. She definatley is."_

_"Wait. So she lost her magic?" Sky asked, holding Laney in her arms. The little girl reached up and pulled on the teen's hair._

_Dee nodded. Elphaba slumped back against the sofa, dumbfounded, as Fiyero settled next to his wife._

_"So what does that mean?" She asked, sitting down on the floor with Laney in her arms._

_"It means she's mortal."_

_"Who the hell is that?" Glinda asked. Elphaba looked at her._

_"Delaney."_

_"Delaney?"_

_"My_ _daughter_. _My and Yero's_ _daughter_."

_"But.....Why won't you come back?" Glinda asked, tears welling in her eyes, as Elphaba pulled away. Silent, Elphaba reached behind her; Fiyero went to his wife and took her hand, squeezing her hand gently._

_"Because, I'm happy here. I was __never happy in Oz. I have a life, a career, and a family. I have a husband, and a beautiful baby girl. I'm.....successful, both Yero and I are. We have people who love us here, who treat us like family. I love New York, I love this city, and this world, and I'm not leaving. I'm not going back to Oz. Never."_

_"But Elphie--"_

_Elphaba shook her head._

_"No Glinda."_

_Their kisses turned passionate, and their hands roamed, their bodies pressing close. Finally, Elphaba lay back among the blankets and pillows, reveling in the feel of her husband's lips on hers, and she rolled her eyes, moaning as he gently parted her legs. She arched her back, allowing him better access, and cried out._

_"Oh Yero!"_

_"Mama? Daddy? What are you doing?"_

_"Yero."_

_"What is it, darling. You can tell me, you know you can."_

_"I think I'm....... __I think I'm pregnant."_

_"What if it's positive? Yero, we can't raise another baby. We don't have the room. We're going to have to move into a bigger apartment. We can't afford too." Elphaba said, looking from the test in her hands to her husband._

_Gently, he pulled her into a hug._

_"We'll be fine, love. We'll get through it, we always do. We did when Laney was born."_

_Fiyero met his wife's eyes, as she held it out to him. Silent, he took it. _

_Lines._

_Two, dark blue lines._

_"I'm pregnant, Yero."_

_Fiyero looked up to see his wife leaning against the doorframe, tears in her eyes and her lower lip quivering. Then, she broke down, holding out her arms, as he pulled her to him. She buried her face in his shirt, sobbing, holding tight to him. Gently, he rubbed her back, and murmured to her._

_"Hush love, hush."_

_"But it's our baby." Elphaba said, giving the girl a smile. "If it'll make you feel better, you can be there for the birth."_

_"She'll be there anyway, she'll have to look after Laney." Dee said. "While we help her Mama with the labor."_

_"Laney's not going to be there. The last thing she needs is to be scarred for life." Fiyero said. Elphaba nodded._

_"I am too." Laney said, glaring at her father. The adults just rolled their eyes, laughing._

_"What will you do if you have twins?" Elphaba's eyes widened, and she gulped._

_"Don't say that. I'm amazed I've been able to raise Laney without losing my sanity. I'd be sent to the nuthouse if I had twins." The younger woman said._

_"Why did you ask that Ede?" Stephanie asked, one delicate eyebrow raised. Eden shrugged._

_"She just looks.....slightly bigger than when she carried Laney. That's all." Gently, she patted Elphaba's belly._

_"Every pregnancy is different. Remember when you had Nikki?" Eden rolled her eyes._

_"I get it. And it's my opinion. I'm not saying I'm right, I'm just saying. Is that a crime?"_

_"Yero, honey, what's wrong?"_

_"T....twins?"_

_"Sweetie, say something."_

_"Twins?"_

_Sighing, Elphaba kissed his cheek._

_"Come to bed darling."_

_As he slipped in beside her, and pressed a loving kiss on her lips, he asked,_

_"Eden was...joking right?"_

_She gave him a small smile, caressing his cheek before snuggling down in his arms. Absentmindedly, he patted his wife's round tummy, feeling her hand cover his._

_"Of course she was darling. I'm not carrying twins. The doctor would have told us if I was."_

_"The baby's not nice. It's not sharing! Send it back, I don't want it!"_

_"Send what back?" Elphaba looked up, to see Sky standing behind her daughter. Since Elphaba's pregnancy had progressed, Sky had been dropping Laney off at preschool on her way to classes in the morning, and then picking her up after her classes were done. Finally, Laney turned around._

_"Sky Sky!" She threw herself into Sky's arms, and then turned to Elphaba. "The baby."_

_"Well, why do you want to send the baby back, Lanes? I thought you liked the new baby."_

_A fierce shake of the head._

_"No. It's not sharing Mommy! I don't want it!"_

_"Well, you're going to have to want it, because it's not going back. Daddy and I can't send the baby back, so you're going to have to get used to sharing me. And Daddy." Elphaba said, pressing her nose against her daughter's. "Now give me a kiss goodbye and be a good girl."_

_Laney pulled away._

_"Laney--"_

_"What if the baby comes?"_

_"Then Daddy or Uncle Taye or Auntie Dee or Sky will come get you. Okay?" Slowly, she nodded. "Good, now can I have a kiss?"_

_Laney looked at her mother before kissing her gently on the lips._

_"That's my good girl."_

"_Ela, answer me!_ _Are you contracting?" The younger woman bit her lip, and slowly nodded. "Okay. Now that I have a straight answer from you, let's get Yero and Taye, and we'll head down to the hospital. Okay?"_

_Elphaba nodded, before crying out._

_"Yero! Taye! It's time!"_

_"Dee!" Idina looked back at Elphaba when the girl grabbed her arm._

_"What is it, Ela? What's wrong?"_

_"My water broke."_

_"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP!" Elphaba screamed, pushing as she felt her child slide out of her. _

_"It's a girl!" Elphaba looked up._

_"I told you!" Dee stated._

_"A girl. We have another daughter. Oh Ela, I'm so proud of you!" Fiyero told his wife, kissing her temple. The doctor held a crying newborn, the cord still attached._

_"Come cut the cord, Daddy." Dr. Hanson said. Yero did as told, before returning to his wife._

_"A girl? Yero, we have another little....oh god!" She leaned forward, eyes closed tight, writhing in pain._

_"Ela, what's wrong?" Dee asked, gripping her friend's hand._

_"Oh god, what's happening?" Elphaba asked, taking a deep breath._

_"I have.....to....push!" Elphaba cried, as Dr. Hanson checked her._

_"Again? Unless it's the placenta, you can't---" Dee started._

_"It's not the placenta, Dee. It's something else--Aah!" Elphaba interrupted her, letting out a scream as she pushed. She bore down again, screaming. Finally,_

_"It's a boy!"_

_Elphaba collapsed in her husband's arms._

_"A son? Yero....."_

_"Wait, you just had.....twins?" Sky asked, paling._

_"Do you want to hold your daughter, Yero?" The two looked up, to see Dr. Hanson holding a bundle of pink blankets. Silent, Fiyero took his newborn daughter in his arms, and looked down at the baby, tears clouding his vision._

_"She's gorgeous." He whispered, gently rubbing his thumb against his baby girl's tiny hand. She looked at her father with dark, chocolate eyes. Her mother's eyes._

_"Here you go, Ela." He looked up, to see Dr. Hanson laying their son in his wife's arms._

_"We have a son." She murmured, as Dee and Taye moved near them._

_"Laney, do you want to meet your new baby brother and sister?" Elphaba asked, as Sky brought the little girl to the bed._

_"Two babies?" Laney asked, leaning close to look at the babies. Elphaba nodded._

_"Your brother and sister." Fiyero said._

_"What are their names?" Dee asked. Elphaba and Fiyero looked at each other._

_"Um...." Elphaba thought a moment, then she looked down at her son. "Spencer. Spencer Nathaniel."_

_"Spencer?" Sky asked. Elphaba nodded. "And your little girl?"_

_"Aria. Aria Emily." Fiyero said._

_"Aria Emily?" Dee asked. The young coupe nodded._

_"Well, what do you think, Lanes?" Sky asked, before the little girl buried her face in the teen's shoulder._

_"Is that a yes or a no?" Elphaba asked._

_"I have no idea." Sky said._

_"Hey. Are visitors allowed?" Megan asked._

_"Come on in." Fiyero said. Slowly, the girls came in, gathering around the bed. Eden looked from Fiyero to Elphaba and back._

_"You had twins! I knew it! I knew it!" She turned to Stephanie. "I told you!"_

_The other woman rolled her eyes._

_"What are their names?" Sho asked._

_"This is Aria and Ela's holding Spencer." Fiyero said, nodding to his wife._

_"Oh. That's so cute. Could I?" Gently, Yero laid his daughter in Sho's arms, and settled next to his wife. It was then that Laney climbed from Sky's arms into Fiyero's lap._

_"They're beautiful." Sho whispered, as the girls gathered around._

_"So, are you exhausted?" Eden asked, proud that her prediction had come true._

_"I just delivered twins vaginally, Ede. What do you think?" Elphaba asked, laying Aria gently in Taye's arms and snuggling into her husband's arms._

_"Yes, well, you did great." Dee told her._

_"But can Yero and I really handle twins? I mean, we have Laney's crib, but we'd need another one. Double of everything, plus another room. And we can't afford it." Elphaba said, biting her lip._

_"Are you really sure about that?" Eden asked. Elphaba furrowed her brow._

_As soon as they stepped inside, the others came out of their hiding places, surprising the young couple. _

_"Oh my god." Elphaba looked at Dee. "How did you--"_

_"I told the girls about the apartment problems you were having, and so, we got together, pitched in, and rented this apartment for you." Dee said._

_"But---"_

_"You need a new place. You can't raise three children in a two bedroom apartment. But you can in a three bedroom one. And it'd be better if the twins shared a room the first year or so anyway. That way you don't worry. Now come on."_

_"So, are you staying for dinner girls?" _

_"Thanks for the invite, Yero, but I can't."_

_"Sebastion and I are meeting some friends of ours."_

_"My hubby's taking me out to dinner."_

_"Yep."_

_The others looked back at Dee. She glanced at everyone._

_"What?"_

_"Shoshana Bean! You're not! Are you?"_ _Elphaba cried._

_The smile on Sho's face said it all._

_"You're pregnant?"_ _Megan cried, finally understanding._

_"Oh my god! About time!"_

_"Finally!"_

_"When are you due?"_

_"May." Sho said, pulling out an ultrasound and showing the group._

_"Oh congrats Sho." Elphaba said, hugging her friend._

_"Well, what do you think?"_

_Yero looked up at his wife, to see her waiting with anticipation._

_"About?"_

_"My funnel cake." She said, brushing her hair off her shoulder._

_"Well?" Ela asked, waiting. Her husband set his fork down, and Ela bit her lip._

_"It's delicious darling." He gently patted her knee and Ela beamed with pride._

_"Good. I'm glad."_

_Soon, the two had drawn sides, filled bowls with powdered sugar, and tossed it at each other. The fight ensued for minutes, until Yero grabbed a bowl, marched over to her, took a handful of powdered sugar, and smeared it on her face. She smiled, taking it, and then reached into the bowl, and with a skilled flick of her wrist, tossed the soft powder into her husband's face. They stared at each other, and then Yero set the bowl on the counter._

_Suddenly, their arms went around each other, and their lips pressed together. Their hands began working on each other's clothes, and soon, Yero scooped his wife up, and lay her gently on the floor amid the powdered snow. They never broke contact, but continued to undress, only breaking once or twice as cloth passed over their heads. Soon, Yero and Ela lay on the kitchen floor, their bodies pressed close, nothing but skin and reserve between them._

_Their passion rose as their reserve fell, and soon, they were becoming one on the tile floor of the kitchen. They were being young and spontanious-wild and carefree. They reached their breaking point several times over the course of the night...._

_"What love? I didn't hear you."_

_Ela looked into his eyes, and cupped his face in her hands._

_"Yero, I'm pregnant."_

_"I have a dream  
A song to sing  
To help me cope  
With anything  
If you see the wonder  
Of a fairy tale  
You can take the future  
Even if you fail  
I believe in angels  
Something good in everything I see  
I believe in angels  
When I know the time is right for me  
I'll cross the stream  
I have a dream"_

_"Again, Jason, please."_

_So he sang it again, and again, and again, over and over, as it seemed to relax her. She let out a groan, whimpering softly._

_"That's it, Ela, that's a good girl. You're doing wonderfully, love." He whispered, as his hands worked gently on her back. To relax her muscles, Ela shifted to sitting on her haunches, as Jason rubbed her back. She whimpered softly in pain as the contractions came faster._

_"Oh god!" Her head snapped up, and she rushed to Ela._

_"Ela, what's wrong?" The laboring woman met her eyes._

_"My water broke."_

_"All right, Ela, let's-- she's pushing. Why is she pushing?" Dee asked, hurrying to her friend_.

_"Because he's coming!"_ _Ela cried, looking up at her friend before snapping her eyes shut again and pushing. She let out a scream, rocking forward gently again. She pushed again, grabbing Dee's hand and squeezing. After several moments, Jason met his wife's eyes._

_"He's starting to crown, sweetheart. That's it, keep pushing!"_

_"Jason!"_

_"What is it, Ela?" Her husband gently cupped her chin. She met his eyes._

_"Your son."_

_"What about him, love?"_

_"Catch him. Please. I want to see your reaction when he comes sliding into your arms." He glanced at Dee and Taye, before nodding and kissing her gently._

_"Of course, darling." She pushed again, crying out as his head started to show. Taye and Dee supported her, allowing her to squeeze their hands when needed. She let out another cry, as her husband reached down, feeling their son's head come from between his wife's legs; gently, he helped the baby, tenderly easing him out when he got stuck. Finally, his head fully emerged. "That's it, Ela! Keep pushing! His head's out, now you just need the shoulders! That's it!" She kept pushing, her cries breaking in at times, as her son entered the world._

_Another push, another scream._

_"Come on, love. One more good, strong push and he'll be here! That's it! You're doing great, Ela! One more, sweetheart! One more! That's it! That's a good girl! Here he comes!"_

_Ela let out a scream, as her son slid into her husband's arms. She caught the look of wonder on her husband's face, saw the joy of holding his newly-born son in his arms. Then, he looked up at her, their eyes locking, and she shared his smile. The baby squirmed in his father's arms, a strong, healthy cry piercing the air._

_"He's got a healthy set of lungs, like his Mama." Jason said, looking from his wife to his son. She smiled at him, as she watched her husband with their baby. Ela leaned forward, and gently pushed, feeling the placenta leave her body in a matter of a few minutes. Taye took care of it, as Dee helped her sit down. "Here you go, Mama." Gently, Jason laid the baby in her arms._

_She looked down into her son's face, seeing his blue eyes._

_"He's beautiful." Their eyes met._

_"Thank you."_

_"For what, Ela?" Jason asked softly, as she looked down at their child, before looking back at him._

_"For giving me our son." She whispered. He smiled at her, reaching up to cup her cheek after cleaning his hands. They looked down at the baby, still slick with amnionic fluid and after birth, and both felt wonder, absolute pride at the miracle squirming and crying in Ela's arms._

_"What's his name?" Taye asked._

_Jason thought a moment, coming up blank._

_"I'm not--"_

_"Jason."_

_Her husband looked at her._

_"Yes?"_

_"Jason."_

_"Yes?"_

_"Jason."_

_"What is it, Ela?"_

_Ela chuckled softly, shaking her head slowly, her eyes closing briefly._

_"Nothing."_

_"All right."_

_"Jason."_

_"What is it, Ela?"_ _He asked, rougher than he should have, which he instantly regretted. Ela just gave him a soft smile._

_"Not you. Him." She nodded to their son. He glanced down at the baby._

_"What about him?"_

_"Jason. For his daddy."_

_"Can you believe Laney's graduating eighth grade? My baby's growing up." _

_"She's certainly beautiful, like her mother."_

_"Daddy! I got part! I'm playing Olive!" _

_"Spencer, you wrote this?"_

_"Yes. Is it bad?" _

_"No baby, it's....wonderful. You have a gift for writing."_

_"I don't want my tonsils out!"_

_"Jason, baby, hush. You have to have them out, Dr. Hanson said so."_

_"But--"_

_"Look on the bright side, Jas, you can eat all the ice cream you want afterwards." _

_"Laney!"_

_"What?"_

_"Really? How would you know?"_

_"I had mine out when I was your age."_

_"Mama, Daddy, I...I want to go to the School of the Arts." _

_"Are you sure, Laney?"_

_"Yes. Mrs. Grey says I have talent. Even you and Daddy said so."_

_"I got in!" _

_The door opened, and her mother slipped inside. _

_"Laney? You all right, baby?"_

_"Just go away. Please."_

_Instead of doing as asked, her mother moved to the bed, and sat down on the edge, reaching out and gently taking the covers off her daughter's head. Laney's moss green eyes met her mother's, and her long black hair tumbled out of her plait. The teen lay on her side, looking up at her mother. Giving a soft sigh, her mother reached down and gently brushed strands off her cheeks, watching her child._

_"What's wrong, baby girl?"_

_Silence._

_"You can tell me, you know? You can always tell me."_

_"Now you can give me mine back." Ela said, getting up and going into the kitchen, pouring herself another cup of tea._

_"Oh Mama."_

_"I hightly doubt she takes your clothes, Ela." Dee said._

_"Oh it's true. She borrows my clothes and never gives them back."_

_"Ela--"_

_"Check her closet. Most of the clothes hanging in her closet are mine." Ela said, as Dee brought her plate and laid it in the sink._

_Her green eyes met her mother's and she got up, throwing her arms around her parents. _

_"Oh thank you, Mama! Thank you, Daddy! I love you!"_

_Ela took the necklace from her daughter and clasped it around her neck._

_"Angel wings?" Laney asked._

_"So you can_ _defy gravity, my sweet."_

_Her arms went around her mother's neck, and she buried her face in her mother's dark hair._

_"I love you, Mama."_

_"I love you too, Delaney. Happy birthday."_

_"What are you doing up here?" Ela sighed, and walked her fingers up her daughter's arm, before tickling underneath her chin. Laney's giggle rang through the room, and she collapsed in her mother's arms, her head on her mother's chest. Ela lay against the pillows, as she held her daughter in her arms._

_"You've grown up so much."_

_"Mhmm." Laney whispered, snuggling close._

_She buried her face in her mother's chest, breathing in the scent she knew so well; peaches and cinnamon._

_"Hi Mama. Hi Daddy. What are you doing here?"_

_Her father was the first to recover from the shock. Still holding his wife close, he shook his head, saying,_

_"This is our room, Delaney. What are you doing here?"_

_"Right." Laney said, standing and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "I forgot..."_

_She backed up to the door of her parents' bedroom._

_"We had a nice talk to Idina, Taye and Skyler tonight after work. They had us come over after rehearsal, and Skyler told us that you'd stopped by this afternoon and asked her to talk to us."_

_Laney winced, her mother's voice bit, and her dark eyes burned into Laney's skin._

_"Really? Because I stayed home all day."_

_"Don't lie to us, Delaney Kim. Sky wouldn't lie to us, neither should you."_

_The girl sighed, and grabbed a pillow, playing with the edge._

_"I'm not lying."_

_Her mother raised a slender eyebrow._

_"You suck at lying, Delaney. You're just like your father."_

_When they broke apart, Ela stared into her husband's eyes, her chest heaving with each breath. _

_"I love you, Jason."_

_Another kiss, before breaking. She pressed her forehead to his, and breathed softly,_

_"Take me, Frederick. I want you so bad....it feels like my ovaries are going to burst. I need you.... I have......to feel you......inside me. I need....to feel you completing me. Please Jason. Make me whole. Make me feel. I want to move with you, I want to become one with you. Like we have before. Please." She sealed her plea with a kiss, forcing her tongue to twist with her husband's. "Make. Me. Whole."_

_Her soft order broke the silence, and he gave in, turning them so she lay beneath him, her legs wrapped around his waist. Costively, he ran his hand down her side, and over the meat of her thigh, gently digging his nails into her skin, pulling her closer to him, as their bodies moved as one, coming together._

_"Oh Jason!"_

_Laney turned to her mother, to see her face broken out in a huge grin. Ela pulled Laney's siblings into her arms, kissed each of them, and then pulled her oldest into her arms. She kissed her daughter's cheek, before turning to her husband. Gently, she planted a firm kiss on his lips and stood, moving past to the aisle. Auntie Dee gave her a hug, and then Laney saw her mother move to the stage. She hugged Audrina, who had announced the nominees, and then, accepting the award, turned to the microphone._

_"Oh my god. Thank you so much. Um.....honestly, I wasn't planning on accepting anything tonight. I was.....planning on coming tonight and performing, giving my all, hearing my name among the nominees. But.....this is the last thing I was expecting. Thank you, all so much. Um.....I've got so many I need to thank....starting with my director, Brad, you've been wonderful to work with, Lin, it's an honor to sing your songs and perform in your show....um.....Idina and Taye, you're best friends I could ever have, you helped me out so much....." She finally turned to her family. "And finally, I wanted to thank my beautiful husband, Frederick, thank you, you're the love of my life, my costar, I don't know what I'd do without you; and my gorgeous children, Jason, Spencer, Aria, and Delaney, I love you all. My darlings, I wouldn't be me without you in my life. I love you, all of you. Thank you for being mine. Thank you all, and god bless Broadway."_

_In one quick, lightening motion, Ela had moved around the coffee table, and smacked her daughter hard. Laney cupped her cheek, shocked that her mother would actually hit her. Mama never hit her children, neither Mama nor Daddy did. The fact that she actually broke her own rule, sent Laney reeling. She stared at her mother with wide, green eyes. Ela was breathing hard, shaking violently._

_"How_ _dare_ _you!_ _You don't know anything about Daddy and I before you came along! You don't know a thing about what our lives were like before you were born! You don't know anything! Nothing! We risked our lives to have you! We sacrificed everything to be together, and nearly lost each other in the process! So how dare you say you understand! You don't understand anything!" _

_By now, Yero had come up behind his wife, and pulled her into his arms. However, she violently broke free, shoved past her daughter, and rushed upstairs._

_"Get away from me!"_ _She shoved him hard, until the two were standing on the floor. He took her arms, held her tenderly._

_"Don't touch me! You bastard! Son of a bitch! I hate you! You selfish jackass! Son of a bitch!"_ _She wrenched away, beat against his chest, screams coming from her already sore throat. Tears rushed down her cheeks, and her body shook violently, her fists beating against him, in the hope that damage would be done. After a few minutes, Jason pulled her to him, held her firmly against him, as she fought and struggled to get loose._

_"Let go! I hate you! I.....hate....you...."_ _She pounded against his chest once more, before dissolving into violent, rapid sobs. Her hand grabbed a fistful of his shirt, and she buried her face in his chest, eyes squeezed shut tight. Jason held her, silent, running his fingers through her now loose curls, the diamond comb hanging limp in knotted black strands. Her mascara left black brookes down the apples of her cheeks, and her eyes and nose were red from crying._

_Tenderly, he kissed the crown of her head, not saying anything, just holding his wife close. His fingers tangled in her raven hair, and he pulled her closer, until their bodies were flush against each other, except for their clothes. Ela burrowed closer, pressing her face into his shirt, shoulders shaking._

_"Eliana_ _you have to calm down_. _Now what happened?"_

_In a voice choked with tears, she replied,_

_"Delaney's gone........she's run away."_

_"Jason......" She took a shaky breath. "Jason, please, tell me she didn't say it. Please, tell me she didn't say_......_Oz_."

_He met her eyes, and pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back. His silence was all Ela needed, before she broke down._

"_No! Please, no! No_!"

_"Where are we?"_

_"I....I think we're in....Munchkinland." Frederick replied, looking around._

_"Pardon me, this way is a very nice way."_

_Ela's head snapped up._

_"Who said that?"_

_She stepped closer to the fence, seeing a scarecrow, arm pointed to the right. Then, mouth agape, she turned back to her husband, pointing._

_Frederick raised an eyebrow. "Don't be silly, Ela. Scarecrows don't talk."_

_She turned back to the scarecrow, nodding, accepting her husband's logic._

_"It's pleasant down that way, too." The scarecrow said, pointing to the left._

_Ela chuckled nervously. "That's funny." She looked back at her husband, pointing to the right. "F....Frederick, wasn't he pointing the other way?"_

_"Of course, some people do go both ways." The scarecrow said, crossing his arms, so each arm pointed to the opposite path._

_"Aah!" Ela screamed, and stumbled back, tripping over her feet and bumping into her husband. She grabbed onto her husband, trying to get as close as she could. "It talked. That.....thing_ _talked_. _Now do you believe me, Jason?" She asked, trying her hardest to get closer. He nodded._

_"I believe you, Mackenzie."_

_"If it's not too much trouble, could you two help me down?" The Scarecrow asked finally. Frederick and Eliana shared pointed looks, before setting their knapsacks down and slipping into the cornfield and untying him. He fell to the ground, got to his feet, and followed the couple back to the road. Then, he sank to the ground, legs splayed out in front of him, as Ela and Frederick joined him, Ela in the middle._

_"I've been up there for too long. Thank you so much for helping me down. I can't thank you enough." The scarecrow said._

_"You'll think of something." Frederick muttered, his mind on Laney._

_"I doubt it." The Scarecrow replied._

_"What do you mean?" Ela asked, looking at him._

_"I haven't got a brain." Ela snorted, and looked at her husband, clearly amused._

_"Yeah right_. _Everyone has a brain." She said, looking back at the Scarecrow, shaking her head in her know-it-all manner._

_"I haven't got a brain... only straw." The Scarecrow replied, tiping his cap up and showing her. Ela's eyes widened._

_"W....How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?" Scarecrow shrugged._

_"I don't know... But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking... don't they?" _

_"What'd'ya think you're doing?" Ela's eyes widened._

_"It talked." She said, looking at her husband, who had come up behind her. "I...I was hungry and I wanted an apple. Would that be too much to ask?"_

_"She was hungry! Well, how would you like to have someone come along and pick something off of you?" The tree asked, reaching out and giving Ela a good shove. The girl toppled backwards, onto her ass, and Jason and the Scarecrow hurried to help her to her feet._

_"Come along you two. You don't want any of those apples!" The Scarecrow said, glaring at the tree._

_"Are you hinting my apples aren't what they ought to be?" The tree cried as the three turned to go._

_"Oh, no! It's just that she doesn't like little green worms!" The Scarecrow replied, making a face. Angry, the tree grabbed a couple apples, and threw them at the three, until the whole grove was abuzz with flying fruit. Letting out a shriek, Ela hurried back the road, Jason behind her, the Scarecrow bringing up the rear, making faces at the trees. Then, he picked up several apples, polished them, and turned to the couple._

_"It's my fault. I should have told Laney when she was younger. I'm her father. I...."_

_"Not your fault." Ela muttered in her sleep, as she snuggled closer. He sighed._

_"It is. I was supposed to protect her......" He shifted onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. Soon however, his subject was replaced with his wife's sleepy, dark eyes, and long, tangled hair._

_"What are you talking about?" She asked, voice thick with sleep. He sighed._

_"We should have told her. When she was younger. We should have told her everything." Ela shifted, laying on her side, her head resting on his chest, under his chin. She took his hand, as he began rubbing her back._

_"We couldn't. We were young, we didn't want to lose our family. We were protecting her." She whispered._

_"Aria!" The girl turned, and her eyes widened._

_"Mama!" She broke into a run, pushing through the group, until she reached her mother. Letting out a cry, she threw her arms around her mother's neck, burying her face in the long, black hair she'd inherited. "Oh Mama!" Tears filled her eyes, and she relished the feel of her mother's lips in her hair._

_"Oh my baby! My baby!" When they finally pulled away, Ela cradled her daughter's face in her hands, pressing her forehead against her daughter's. "What are you doing here? How did you get here? You shouldn't be here, you should be home, with Auntie Dee--" She looked up, seeing Dee a few feet away._

_"F....Frederick.....I love you...." She whispered, her eyes opening slowly, but not seeing. His image blurred, and she closed her eyes, slowly shaking her head. Costively, his hands ran up her sides, feeling the curves of her body. "Frederick....."_

_They moved to the bed, sitting on the edge, their hands roaming wildly. He cradled her head, pulling away gently._

_"Elphaba. Elphaba, open your eyes." She shook her head._

_"That's not my name, Frederick, you know it. It's Eliana. Eliana."_

_"Elphaba. Please, open your eyes. Look at me. Elphaba, look at me."_

_Slowly, her eyes opened, unfocused._

_"Elphaba. It's me. Fiyero."_

_She shook her head._

_"No Frederick, you're wrong."_

_He took her hand, bringing it to his face. Suddenly, Eliana felt burlap beneath the pads of her fingers, the painted face, the straw beneath the felt hat. Suddenly, her eyes focused, she saw the felt clothing, the ropes around the waist and wrists, the white gloves, the straw._

_"Elphaba."_

_She met his painted eyes, her breathing coming in rapid gasps. Quickly, she stumbled back, landing on her rear on the floor._

_"Who---what are you?"_

_He knelt in front of her, reaching out to take her hand._

_"Elphaba, listen to me. It's me. Fiyero."_

_Gently, he caressed her face._

_"Remember? It's me. Fiyero."_

_And she screamed._

_"No you're not! You're not my Frederick! You're not my Frederick!" She cried, tears running down her cheeks._

_"Yes I am. Don't you remember? Remember Elphaba? Remember who I was before I became Frederick?_ _Remember?_"

_She shook her head, wrenching away from him. She backed up covering her ears, her eyes shut tight, as she violently sobbed, her body shaking._

_"Shut up! Shut up!_ _SHUT UP!" She screamed, burying her head in her knees, her arms draped protectively over her neck._

_"Where are we?" She asked. He looked at her. _

_"Don't you remember Elphaba?"_

_"No! I don't because I'm NOT ELPHABA!"_

_Eliana backed up. She had to get out of here, or the Scarecrow was going to kill her. When he'd moved to the cornfield, looking for something, Ela saw this as her chance. Taking it, she snuck off, getting a good distance away before breaking into a run. She heard him behind her, chasing after her. She rushed through the woods, not caring where she was going, just as long as it was far away from the Scarecrow._

_Finally, she came across a small village. Not even thinking twice, she rushed to the only house with a light on, and pounded on the door._

_"What....what happened?" She asked._

_"You fainted, dear. But you're okay now. I think it's best if you had something to eat. Here, drink up all this good broth, my dear, it'll warm you." One of the Goats said, handing her a bowl and spoon. Slowly, and with shaky hands, Eliana took the bowl, the china shaking in her hands._

_"Here. Let me." Another pair of hands reached out, taking the bowl and spoon from her. Slowly, Ela looked up, her eyes locking with mossy green ones. Green eyes she hadn't seen in days, eyes she missed more than anything, eyes she loved more than life itself. Her own eyes widened, and she gasped._

_"L....Laney?" She whispered. Soft, pink lips curved into small smile, and the girl nodded._

_"Hi Mama." The whisper of her daughter's voice sent every emotion she'd been feeling for the last few days crashing down on her. Letting out a cry, she leaned forward, throwing her arms around her daughter and pulling her to her. Laney moved the bowl to avoid spilling, and Mersenia took it, setting it on the table as the girl wrapped her arms around her mother. Ela held her child close, burying her face in her daughter's black hair, tears coursing down her cheeks. It was all Laney could do to keep from sobbing. "I love you, Mama."_

_It'd been so long since Ela had heard Laney call her 'Mama' that all she could do was sob, kissing her daughter's black curls. She pulled her child closer, relishing in the feel of her child back in her arms, and, in a voice thick with tears, whispered,_

_"I thought we'd lost you. Oh God, I thought we'd lost you." She kissed her daughter's hair, digging her fingers into her daughter's curls, as Laney snuggled closer, her arms tight around her mother._

_"I'm sorry Mama, I'm so sorry." She sobbed, burying her face in her mother's chest. The sound of her mother's heart beating against her ribs, told her that she wasn't dreaming, wasn't imagining the feel of her mother's arms around her. She snuggled close, burying her face in her mother's chest, the feel of her mother's hands on her back comforting. "I love you, Mama."_

_"I love you too, baby girl. I love you too."_

_"Laney, I can...." Ela started, reaching for the bowl; her mirror image held it away from her, shaking her head._

_"Mama let me. You've taken care of me for sixteen years, let me take care of you." She whispered. Ela sighed, nodding sightly, as she leaned back, closing her eyes briefly. "Mama." Her dark eyes opened, and she looked at her daughter, who held the broth in her hand._

_"All right. Fine." And she sat up, as her daughter snuggled closer, sinking the spoon into the bowl. She brought the spoon out of the liquid, then moved it and the bowl closer to her mother._

_"Go on, open up." Chuckling softly, Ela did as told, allowing her daughter spoon feed her. The Animals watched, all moved to tears as daughter took care of mother, making sure she got warm. When Ela had finished the broth, Laney set the bowl and spoon on the table, and snuggled into her mother's arms. She reached up, playing with the black Wicked Witch's hat with the green Swarovski crystals necklace that hung around her mother's neck. Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye had gotten the necklace for her mother not long after she'd gotten the role of Elphaba in_ _Wicked. A pair of black drop earrings went with the necklace, which Ela also wore. It was then that the Animals decided to join in. The two Tipton women looked up when they took their seats._

_"Thank you." Ela whispered, not letting go of her daughter._

_"You're welcome my dear." Mersi said, taking the bowl and spoon in the kitchen. Ela looked back at Laney._

_"Stay with me? Please?" Sighing, Ela climbed under the covers, and snuggled close to her daughter. Laney burrowed into her mother's embrace, breathing in her scent. "Mama?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"I'm sorry."_

_"For what, baby girl?"_

_"For calling you and Daddy liars and for running away. And for upsetting you. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry, Mama. Really sorry." Tears slid down her cheeks. Ela sighed, running her fingers through her daughter's hair._

_"It's all right, baby. Daddy and I weren't honest with you. We should have been honest from the start, but....we were so caught up in....life...."_

_"Life?" Laney asked, looking at her mother. Ela nodded._

_"Yes. Our careers, our marriage. Our babies. We had four beautiful babies, and life....just got out of hand. I'm sorry." Laney sighed, snuggling into her mother's arms._

_"It's not your fault, Mama. It's mine. I shouldn't have said the things I said, and I'm sorry for running away." At this, Laney burst into sobs, and Ela pulled her daughter closer, cradling her in her arms, whispering softly to her._

_"Shh. Hush baby girl. Hush. It' all right, my baby. It's all right. We're together again, that's all that matters. And when we get out of here, we'll find Daddy, and Auntie Dee, and Uncle Taye, Sky, and Kevin and the kids, and we'll go home. I promise." Laney didn't ask, just sobbed harder. "Hush baby."_

_"Where are you going? Mama?" Laney asked, watching her mother._

_"Back to your father!" Ela cried, pulling the door open and storming out. Laney looked around, before rushing to the bedroom. She changed quickly, before chasing after her mother._

_"Mama! Mama!" She followed, the Animals behind her. As Laney chased her mother through Arkinta, she couldn't help feeling like she'd been chasing for answers ever since she turned sixteen. "Mama!"_

_"What?" Ela screamed, turning on her daughter. She instantly regretted it, seeing the tears in Laney's eyes. "Oh Laney. Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you." She said, going to her daughter and pulling her into her arms. Gently, she rubbed her daughter's back; the teenager was so strung from the last few days that she was frustrated and scared. She buried her face in her mother's chest, clinging to her. When Laney finally calmed down, Ela pulled away, looking into her daughter's eyes and wiping the tears away. "Come on. Let's go back. Daddy's probably worried sick."_

_"Where are you going?"_

_"I'm going to go look for my husband!" Ela cried, stalking off, pulling her daughter behind her._

_"Mama--Mama! Can we slow down? You're going too fast!"_

_Ela ignored her._

_"When I find your father..... he had better_ _FUCKIN' run! Because I'm going to kill him! Thanks to him and his..... appetites..... one- ONE- night, followed by nine months of morning sickness, obsene cravings, swollen ankles and weight gain.....and then it all ends with three fucking days of pushing and breathing- which doesn't help, no matter what they say- only to expel a small human being the size of a small watermelon out through my birth canal....don't get me wrong, I love being a mother.....but when I see Daddy, he's going to wish he'd never impregnated me......I could just....."_

_"What's going on?"_

_"Lady Glinda is about to speak."_

_"Laney! Go get help! Go find Daddy!"_

_"No. I'm not leaving you!"_

_"Laney, I'm begging you, baby. Please!"_

_"I don't know what you want with me, but I... demand that you release me. I have to find my husband and children. We need... to return home."_

_Slowly, the figure turned from the window._

_"Elphie, you are home."_

She pulled away, her arms wrapping tightly around her waist, her eyes shut tight. Glinda watched her, concern in her blue eyes. Slowly, she reached out to touch her, when Ela pulled away.

"What did you do to me?" She screamed, opening her eyes and looking at the blonde.

"I didn't do anything. You were remembering. I know you were." Ela shook her head, closing her eyes again. She let out a cry, breathing deeply to get her bearings. "You need to lie down. Maryie," A young maid came towards the blonde. "Take Miss Elphaba to the available guest room on the second floor." The maid did as told, going to Ela and helping her up.

Ela, meanwhile, was in too much pain to correct her or protest.

* * *

Once Ela was left alone in the room, she went to the bathroom, looking at her reflection, reaching up to grab the necklace around her neck. The pain shot through her abdomen like a knife. Letting out a cry, she sank to her knees, arms wrapped tight around her abdomen. It was only when she got her knapsack and pulled out a clean pair of clothes and began to undress, that she noticed the blood on her underwear. She dropped her clothes, and collapsed on the floor, arms around herself.

Frederick would never forgive her for not telling him; the problem was, _she_ hadn't even known that she was pregnant. Subconsiously, her hand came up to stroke her belly. The baby that had once started to form- unbeknownst to its parents- was no more.

Never, she'd _never_ miscarried before. Her children had _always_ been born healthy- healthy and alive. _Never_, in the years she'd had her children, had she miscarried.

And it just about killed her.


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 50.**

"Well? Do you know who you are yet?"

Ela looked up, seeing Glinda standing in the doorway. She glowered at the woman.

"Go away."

Instead of doing as asked, she knelt down next to her.

"No. You have to remember Elphie. Please." Ela turned from her, and slowly, got up, gathering her clothes.

"I'm not your Elphie." She shoved past Glinda, and went to the bedroom, stuffing her clothes in her knapsack.

"Where do you think you're going?" Glinda demanded, getting up and following her.

"I'm leaving. I'm going to go find my husband." She said, going to the door, Glinda blocked her way. "Move."

"I can't. You have to stay here. You have to remember, Elphie. You_ have to remember_!" Glinda cried, grabbing Ela's wrist and pulling her towards her. Ela wrenched away from her.

_"NO!"_ She stumbled back. If dumb blonde was blocking the door, she had to find another exit.

* * *

Jason glanced quickly at Elphaba, before looking back at his oldest.

"No sweetheart."

"Then who is she?" Laney asked, wiping tears off her cheeks. Jason met the others' eyes, trying to think of what to tell her. Finally, he decided on the truth.

"She's....your mother."

* * *

What? What did he say?

There was _no way_ that....that green _freak_ was her mother. Mama was being held hostage in the Palace.

"What?"

Laney turned on her father. He sighed.

"Laney, we're in Oz. And she...." He glanced at Elphaba. "She is Mama's....counterpart."

"What do you mean _counterpart_?"

"Honey, before we got to New York, we lived here. And....Mama was....the....the Witch of the West. She was....Elphaba. Her name was Elphaba, and she was green."

Laney pulled away, shocked. She stared at her father as if he'd lost his mind. As the gears in her head began to run through all he'd said, she finally found words- not the _right _words, but words none the less.

"You're insane! You're fucking insane! That's not Mama! Mama's been taken hostage! Some cuckoo blonde is holding her hostage in the Palace!"

Jason grabbed his daughter, holding her too him as she beat his chest, sobbing.

"Daddy....."

Tears sprang to his eyes. She was so like her mother- from her looks to how she reacted to things. As he held her close, he locked eyes with Dee.

"Laney, did you say that Ela's in the palace? Where?" Slowly, Laney looked up at the others, wiping her eyes.

"I don't know. Guards came and took her through a side door."

"Can you show us?"

The girl nodded, and led them through the streets to the Emerald Palace.

* * *

"Here. They took her away right here." Laney said, stopping at a certain point.

The others looked around.

"There's nothing here." Spencer said.

* * *

Quickly, her eyes scanned the room, searching for something, anything that would help her escape. It was then that her eyes locked on the broom......

* * *

Glinda saw her eyes flick towards the broom resting in the corner.

"No. No don't." She begged softly. Ela didn't listen. She rushed towards the corner, grabbed the broom, and looked back at the woman. A cape and hat lay on the chair near the open French doors.

"No. Elphie don't."

In two strides, Ela was at the balcony. Glinda, seeing what she was contemplating, grabbed the hat and cape, moving towards her.

"I have to go. I can't stay. I'm not yours. I don't know who Elphie is, and I hope you find her, but...." The woman was shaking, obviously scared. Glinda couldn't blame her. She'd forced the poor woman to remember things for her own selfish greed.

"You're shivering. Here, put this on." And Glinda draped the cape over her shoulders, clasping it in front. Then, she gently set the hat on Ela's head, and stood back. With the exception of the skin, she was the splitting image of the Witch of the West. Glinda wiped tears off her cheeks. "I don't know how you're going to get out of here, but...."

Ela looked around. She stood on the balcony, that looked out at the gardens. If she tried to climb down, she'd either loose her footing and get hurt, or get lost. She couldn't go through the palace, she knew Glinda would never let her leave if she tried. Slowly, she looked down at the broom in her hands.

There was no other option.

* * *

"Are you sure, Laney?" Kevin asked.

"Yes! I'm positive!" Laney cried.

"Hush Lanes. We'll find Ela. I promise." Sky said, going to the girl and holding her close. She stroked the black locks, whispering softly.

"I promise, Lanes. I promise."

* * *

Ela hurried to the balcony ledge, and looked over. It was at least ten feet, maybe more. Another glance at the broom.

She had no choice.

Slowly, she climbed onto the ledge, regaining her balance. The wind came up, whipping her long ebony hair out behind her. Glinda watched her. Suddenly, the door burst open, and the guards entered. They'd been told that if Glinda didn't come out of the room in an hour, to go in and get her. Their eyes landed on Ela balanced on the balcony, and they rushed to her.

"Lady Glinda!" The blonde turned, seeing the guards, remembering the orders she'd given. "The Witch!"

"No! She's....she's not the--" She turned back to Ela, who looked over her shoulder at the woman. Their eyes locked, and Glinda caught sight of a spark she hadn't seen in years.

Rebellion.

"Witch." The last word was soft, but loud enough for Ela to hear. Silent, she nodded to Glinda, before turning back around.

Then, she took a deep breath, and stepped off the ledge.


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52.**

**Rifiuto: Non Mirinea**

She fell.

The cape belled out around her, and she let out a scream, closing her eyes, certain she'd end up on the pavement. However, when she didn't, she slowly opened her eyes, gasping.

Suspended.

She was suspended above the ground. As she looked around, she finally discovered that she was sitting on the broom. It had caught her, stopping her fall. She let out a breath, before crying out. The broom obviously had a mind of its own, as it flew out of the gardens, higher into the air, before going to the front of the palace. When she dared look down, she saw several people gathered in one spot.

* * *

"Uncle Taye, what's that?" Taye looked down, to see Jason looking up at the sky. He tilted his head back, looking up as well.

"It....it looks like someone on a broom...."

The others followed their gazes, seeing the figure on the broom. It got closer, coming closer to the ground, which was when they recognized who was on it. Dee's mouth fell open.

"Ela!"

* * *

She let out a scream, as the broom soared towards the ground. She reached up, holding the hat on, as the broom gained speed, zooming past the group.

Laney's eyes widened.

"Mama?!"

Ela looked back, before turning facing forward again. She let out another scream, as the broom veered sideways, narrowly missing a glass window.

The others followed close behind.

* * *

Elphaba had seen the woman fly past. She'd only caught a glimpse of her, but knew that there was something off about her.

Like she'd seen her before.

* * *

She didn't look up fast enough.

Screaming, she tugged on the broom, attempting to steer the broom upward, and instead went flying forward. The broom bucked her, throwing the woman four feet off the ground. The others got there in time to see Ela go flying through an abandoned store window.

The last thing she remembered, was hearing her daughter's voice, before blacking out, her daughter's scream a distant memory.

_"MAMA!"_


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Sorry this is so short, the next one will be longer.**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 52.**

"Mama! _Mama!_"

Consiousness slowly came back to her, the voice far away. Soon, another voice, calmer, broke in.

"Ela. Ela, can you hear me? Ela."

"Dee, go take care of Laney, she's wreck." Jason slowly knelt down next to his wife, brushing a strand of hair off her forehead. His voice was soft and tender, loving, like when they made love. "Ela. Ela, can you hear me? Honey, wake up, wake up for me, love."

"Is she okay, Daddy?" Laney asked. The teen had her arms around Dee's waist, her face buried in her chest, tears running down her cheeks. Jason didn't answer, instead, he returned to his wife.

"Ela, sweetheart, wake up for me. Okay? I need you to wake up for me. All right?" Sighing, he gently lifted his wife's body into his arms, and cradled her against his chest, watching her face. "Ela, honey, wake up for me, okay? Open those gorgeous chocolate eyes I fell in love with. Please Ela, let me see those gorgeous chocolate eyes. Come on."

Slowly, her eyelashes began to flutter, and almost hesitantly, her eyes opened. They gradually took in her husband's beautiful face, and she blinked.

"Jason?" He smiled at her choked out reply.

"Yeah. You scared us love." She slowly reached up, grasping a handful of his shirt.

"What happened?"

"I...I'm not...exactly....sure. It....it looked like you were flying a broom...and then....then you crashed through this glass window. Are you all right, love?" He whispered, gently brushing her hair from her face. Slowly, she nodded.

"Yeah, I...I'm okay. I just....have a headache." She replied, as he helped her sit up. Gently, tenderly, he checked her over for broken bones, and when he was satisfied that she was all right, he rose to his feet, helping her to hers as well. She winced slightly; her ankle was twisted slightly, and she leaned on her husband for support.

"Ela!"

"Mama!"

Soon, she was enveloped in several pairs of arms, as her children and friends engulfed her in hugs.

"Are you all right?" Dee asked, hugging her friend.

"Yeah, I...I'm okay. I just have a headache." Ela said, hugging her friend. When it was established that she was all right, they left the building, making their way to an abandoned corn exchange. "Where are we going?" Ela asked, as they went up the stairs. Elphaba, had rushed ahead, securing the exchange for them. Finally, they entered the exchange.

"So, any ideas about how we're going to get home?" Ela asked, as Jason walked with her, his arm around her waist. It was getting easier for her to walk, but every so often, she'd step wrong, and wince.

"I have an idea." Ela looked up, as Elphaba turned, meeting the woman's eyes. As they locked eyes, Ela's jaw hit the floor.


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: So Ela's finally seeing Elphaba?**

**Answer: yep.**

**Question: What's going to happen when stalker Yerocomes back?**

**Answer: don't worry, he won't show up until _at least_ chapter 70....**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 53.**

"J....Jason.....p....please tell me that....that she's the new girl in the show and that's just paint....." Ela said, looking up at her husband. He met her eyes.

"I can't sweetheart."

"But....but...." She looked around, before pulling away. "No. This....this cannot- _CANNOT_- be happening! It....it just can't. I... I know. It... it's stress. It's work and home and life causing stress. I...I'm in the hospital, hooked up to IVs and heart monitors because I do _NOT_ handle stress well.... This is all some elaborate dream playing in my head while I'm knocked up on Vicoden....this has to be...none of this can be real.....it can't.....it's not. Watch, I'll wake up, and I'll be in the hospital, surrounded by nurses and doctors and...and..." Ela muttered, shaking her head, eyes snapped shut. Her breathing quickened, and she covered her ears, humming _Over the Moon. _"I'm dreaming. I know I am....please, Jason, tell me this is just a figment of my overactive imagination." She cried, as he went to her, engulfing her in his arms as she sobbed into his chest.

Gently, he stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry. I really am. But, there's nothing that can be done." Elphaba said, watching the couple. When Jason had calmed his wife enough to get her to form coherent sentences, everyone settled down in the loft, and listened to Elphaba explain what was going on.

"Glinda is ruling Oz now--"

"I know. I met her." Ela broke in. She cradled the steaming mug of tea in her hands, staring into the steam. Elphaba nodded.

"So, what now?" Sky asked.

"I don't know. I do know, that you can all stay here." Elphaba said, getting up and going to the stove.

"And where are you going to stay?" Kevin asked. Elphaba shrugged.

"I'll find someplace."

"No we will. We can't impose on you." Sky told her.

"It's fine."

"Look, we don't want to cause any trouble with you. We'll just......go. The last thing we want to do is cause trouble. Come on guys." Sky said, helping the kids up from the floor.

"Wait! I..."

"What's the point?" Dee asked, turning back to the woman. She sighed.

"The point is, I don't want you staying somewhere when you don't know the area, and don't know anyone. I…..I'd worry about you if that happened." Elphaba said, reaching for Dee's hand. The woman pulled back.

"Sorry. Please. You won't be a burden, and I'd feel so much better if you stayed with me."

Dee's eyes narrowed.

"We don't need to stay with you to ease your guilt. We'll be fine." She said, turning.

"But--"

"No thank you." Taye said, as they turned and went to the door. Elphaba followed.

"But---I---" Finally, she said it. "I'd--be lonely."

Dee turned, startled to hear what she'd told Ela and Jason years earlier. She saw the hurt in Elphaba's eyes, and decided for the rest of them.

"Okay. We'll stay."

_"What?"_

She turned at the collective gasp from the group.

"You heard. Now deal with it."

It was Ela who spoke up.

"No."

"Ela-"

"No. No. I won't. I don't trust her. How do we know she's not like that scarecrow that kidnapped me? I--"

"You don't. And that's why I'm asking you to _trust me_. _Please_, trust your instincts. What are they telling you?" Elphaba asked, stepping up to the woman. Ela turned from her doppledanger, tears pricking her eyes. She took a shaky breath, before speaking.

"I...I don't know. I don't know what my instincts are telling me. Mainly because they're _so screwed up_ that I can't decide what's an instinct and what isn't! I can't.....focus! I can't....concentrate! I can't....it's because of that fuckin' blonde and her parlor tricks! It's because she made me see things that I'm _supposedly_ supposed to remember, and I don't! It's because she upset me so much that I lost the baby....that--"

"Baby? What baby?" Ela, at this point, and moved to the counter and leaned on it, trying to steady her racing heart. Now, she slowly turned to Jason, who looked just as shocked as the others did. _"Ela, answer me. What baby?"_


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing Chapter 53- and giving me my 100th review for TMI!**

She took a deep breath.

"Mama? You're....pregnant?" Laney asked, the first to break the silence. Elphaba pulled herself to her full height, and lifted her chin.

"Was. I was. I lost it."

"How?"

"Wait. Go back._ You were pregnant_?" Jason asked, trying to comprehend everything at once. It wasn't easy, with so many questions swirling around in his head. Ela turned her dark eyes to her husband.

"Yes."

When?" He asked, moving to her. "Ela, how long have you known? Look at me, Ela." She met his eyes. "How long?"

"Since the Tonys." She said, pushing herself away from the counter. He calculated the weeks, before turning to her. "Four weeks. Right? You were four weeks along. Ela, how could you not tell me you were pregnant?" He asked, going to her, gently laying his hand on her stomach. "Our child. Our child and you...."

"I didn't know, Jason. When I realized I was late, I thought it was due to stress. I--"

"Stress? _Stress?_ _God, Ela, didn't you take a test or visit the doctor or--"_

_"I couldn't, Yero! Because we're stuck in Oz! Otherwise I would have!"_ Ela screamed, pulling away._ "And by the time I realized I was pregnant, I'd already lost it! God Jason, do you know what that's like? To realize you lost something- something that was forming inside you that you and your spouse created? It just about killed me! If I could go back in time, I would, but I can't! Jason, I lost my baby!" _

He went to her, grabbing her shoulders. "Your baby? _Your baby!_ It wasn't just your baby Ela, it was mine too! It was my baby also! Not just yours!" He shook her hard.

"Who was carrying that child, Jason? Not you! Me. I was. Just like I carried Delaney and Aria and Spencer and Jason. I carried all four of them! Me. It's more my child than yours!" She snapped, crying out as he hit her. Instantly, he realized what he'd done, and backed away. Tears sparkled in his eyes, as Ela cupped her cheek. She looked up at him.

"I....I'm sorry Ela....I...I lost my temper.....I....."

"That baby... that _baby_ is the straw that breaks my back." She whispered. Then, she grabbed her knapsack, and left, slamming the door behind her.

"Daddy?" Jason looked up at his oldest daughter, before leaving.

* * *

"Mama go after her."

"No Sky."

"Why not?" Dee sighed, before meeting her daughter's eyes.

"Because."

"Because why? You've never had a problem butting into their lives before, why not now?" Sky demanded.

"Because, this is something that Ela and Jason need to work out on their own."

After a moment, Sky asked,

"Mama, do you think Ela realized her slip?"

* * *

They crossed paths again in the park. Both had walked through the streets, trying to calm their racing hearts. It was Ela that found Jason. Silent, she sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry."

She looked at him.

"I shouldn't have slapped you. I promised never too, and I broke that promise. I'm sorry. It'll never happen again." He said. She met his eyes.

"I should have told you about the baby. But I didn't know. I...." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "....it wasn't until I changed clothes that I realized that I'd miscarried." Tears came to her eyes, and she wiped them away. "Jason, I..."

He reached out, taking her hand. Their fingers laced, and Ela noted how their fingers fit together perfectly.

"What happened to us?" He met her eyes, her voice soft. "Everything was perfect, and then Laney....Laney found that chest....and everything went to _hell_....." She broke down, and he pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back. "I don't understand....what did we do? Did we not tell the kids that we love them enough? Did we pick the wrong careers? Did we do the wrong thing by settling in New York? Were our whole lives- our whole marriage- a mistake? Jason, _what did we do wrong_?"

He whispered softly to her, stroking her hair.

"I don't know love. I don't know."


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: Am I to infer that the 'pieces' of them are starting to come together again?**

**Answer: if you mean 'pieces' as their former lives are starting to come back to them? then yes, slowly....but yes.**

**Thanks to SoConfusified for reviewing 55.**

Glinda stood at her bedroom window, watching the people pass on the streets. She sighed.

That meeting hadn't gone well. Obviously, the woman hadn't remembered anything. After she'd fallen, Glinda had turned from the window, so she hadn't see the broom carry Ela away. After trying to focus on several requests by the leaders of the other states, she gave up, grabbing her cloak. Then, she picked up her wand, and conjured her bubble, before leaving the palace. She needed a walk. She needed to clear her head.

* * *

They walked down the street, hand in hand, silent.

Very rarely, did they have these moments back home. Moments when they could spend time together, holding hands, feeling each others' presence close, breathing in the other's unique scent. Their lives had become so hectic over the years, what with raising four children, demanding careers on Broadway, not to mention that fact that both were embarking on solo careers. They'd both released their first solo albums- separately-six months earlier, four days apart. So far, both were selling well.

And when they did have these moments, they were usually interrupted by the children, their careers, or life in general. Now, was just a time for them to enjoy the other's presence. It was time they needed to use wisely. And they did.

As they walked, they began telling each other things they'd never told anyone, things they kept buried for years. They stopped at a small cafe, grabbed a cup of coffee to go, and continued on.

"I....I took my parent's car one afternoon, and...went to Savannah because I wanted to go to a Paula Abdul concert there. When my parents found out, they were furious. Grounded me for a month." Ela said, as they continued down the street. Jason chuckled softly.

"Just so you could go to a Paula Abdul concert?" She nodded. He sighed.

"I..." He stopped, taking a sip of his coffee, before continuing. "I dated Grace Martin in high school. She was....this...short blonde with these dull blue eyes and this short attention span. She...spent more time shopping than studying. Cheerleader. Spent most of her time ridiculing others. Senior year, we....we'd talked about getting married." Ela lowered her eyes, sipping her coffee silently. "And...you know, I....almost went through with it. I almost married her."

"What changed your mind?"

"I didn't love her. I....realized that....there was someone else out there for me. Someone that I'd known since a child, and...hoped to find again." He said, looking at her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. He kissed her lovingly, and they savored the others' taste. "I love you, Ela." He whispered, as they broke apart.

"I love you, Jason."

* * *

Glinda landed her bubble on the street, as people passed. As she stepped out of the bubble, her eyes landed on a couple locked in a gentle kiss. Quietly, she moved towards them, realizing that it was the woman she'd taken hostage.

"Elphie?"

The couple broke apart, turning to the blonde.

"You! Can't you leave me alone?" Ela cried, pressing herself against her husband's chest. Jason held her close.

"Who's this?" Glinda turned her attention to the man in Ela's arms. She did a double take, the man looked like Fiyero.

"My_ husband_." Ela said, glaring at her.

"Oh. Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Glinda the Good." She said, holding out a hand. Shocked, Jason reached out, shaking hands with the woman. It was then that Ela broke contact between the two.

"There, you've met, now leave us be." She turned back to her husband. "That's the lunatic I was telling you about."

Glinda listened quietly, before going over and tapping Ela's shoulder.

"What?" Ela spun on the woman, fire in her eyes.

"I just...wanted to know if you wanted to join me for a cup of coffee."

"No thank you. We need to get back to our children." She took Jason's hand, and the two left.

"Children?" Suddenly, Glinda chased after them. "Wait! Wait! You have children? How many! What are their names? Boys or girls?"

"Doesn't she ever give up?" Ela cried. All too soon, they made it back to the loft. As the door slammed behind them, and they raced up the stairs, they heard Glinda yanking the door open. Finally, they rushed through the loft door, slamming it closed.

"Where were you?" Dee cried. Both of them looked up, to see a _very pissed off Idina Menzel_ standing across from them. Hands on her hips, she glared at her friends, waiting for an explanation.

"That doesn't matter." Ela said, pushing herself away from the door.

"What do you mean it 'doesn't matter'? Of course it matters--"

"NOT NOW DEE!" Ela snapped. "There is an insane, overdressed, pink wearing, creampuff blonde racing up the stairs right now! She's Desi playing Glinda times ten. We need to leave now."

"That is the most ludicrious--"

"Glinda?" Elphaba asked. It was the first thing she'd said since Ela and Jason had left the loft.

"I....I...." Ela muttered, as Jason took his wife in his arms.

"What now?" Sky asked.

"I don't--" Ela started, looking quickly around the room. Her gaze suddenly landed on the broom, and she looked at the others. Dee caught the spark in her friend's eye.

"NO. Ela, no! Don't you dare!"

Ignoring her friend, Ela grabbed the broom, and then Jason's hand, and marched to the window.

"Mama?" Ari had tears in her eyes.

"Get on." Jason looked at his wife, worry in his eyes.

"What?"

"Get on. If I'm caught, she'll never let me go."

"But what about-"

"We'll distract her!" Sky said. "Now go!"

Sighing, Jason climbed on after his wife, and Ela took a deep breath, pushing off from the window. They fell, before the broom moved up, higher and higher. Jason held her waist tightly, as Ela clutched the broom hard.

"Oh my god. I....I can't believe that worked." She muttered, looking back at her husband. "Sweetheart?"

"Ela, where are we going?"

"I don't know! But...Jason....trust me!" She cried, as they flew higher.

* * *

Back in the loft, the others watched, relieved.

"I believe her. Glinda was one of those characters in the show that I could not stand." Dee said.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and said creampuff herself, entered.


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so late...but it's extra long, so hopefully that makes up for the long wait....I've had a lot of crap happen in the last few weeks, but I'm going to try to update TMI regularly, and once classes are out in two weeks, I'll be able to update more....in between sessions with my new therapist.... **

**Oh, I also have an audition for my college's production of _25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee_ tonight night at seven so I won't be updating today, but if I do, it'll be AFTER I get home from the audition, and it will also be the same on Thursday IF I get a call-back. I'm gonna try for the role of Loganne. Keep your fingers crossed! Plus, I have an audition on Sat/Sun. for my community theater's production of _Almost, Maine_. Wish me luck!**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 55 and 56, and also to James Birdsong for reviewing 56.**

Jason didn't pay attention to where they landed, all he knew, was that somehow, he was laying on his back in the woods, Ela by his side.

"Are you okay, love?"

Slowly, he nodded.

"I'm okay...just....let me catch... my breath....." She sighed gratefully, before laying next to him, resting her head next to his. Then, she took his hand in hers.

"I'm sorry." He looked at her.

"For what love?"

"For...causing all this. I never meant to...."

"I know. I'm sorry too. For...reacting the way I did...about the baby...." She sat up, looking down at him.

"You had every right to be angry. I...kept something from you when we promised never to keep secrets....but....I didn't know...."

"It's okay. It'll be okay." He whispered, reaching up to cup her cheek. She nodded, covering his hand with hers, before leaning down to kiss him. It was then, that they heard the sounds of something coming towards them.

"What was that?"

"I don't know."

Quickly, they climbed to their feet, grabbed their knapsacks and the broom, took hands, and ran further into the woods. Once they were certain they had lost whatever was chasing them, they collapsed on the forest floor, catching their breath. It was then that Jason remembered that he had Ela's wedding ring in his pocket.

"Ela, I found your ring. After the Scarecrow--"

"You found it!" She cried. He nodded, pulling it out. "Where is it?" Gently, he took her hand, before sliding the small gold band onto her finger. "Thank you." She whispered, wrapping her arms around him. Both were on their knees, and Jason pulled Ela to him, so that her back was pressed against his chest. "You know, now all we need is the orchestra, the lighting crew, and the audience, and we have _As Long As You're Mine_. We already have the forest, we just need the rest and we're all set." He chuckled softly, pulling her into his arms, which wrapped around her waist. Then, softly, he began humming the tune, lacing their fingers, and soon, she joined in, before allowing her voice to follow.

_"...Could not forsee  
Lying beside you  
With you wanting me!_

_And just for this moment  
As long as you're mine.  
I've lost all resistance  
And crossed the border line  
And if it turns out  
It's over too fast.  
I'll make every last moment last  
As long as you're mine."_

Her beautiful soprano rang softly through the woods, and if Jason didn't know any better, he could have sworn the animals were coming out to listen. She pulled away, until she faced him. He wrapped her in his arms, and allowed a smile to grace his lips briefly as she kissed him, before moving her soft lips to his neck. He knew what she was doing. She was challenging him; just because she started the song, didn't mean he had to follow....

She found a particularly sensative spot, and he moaned softly-exactly what she wanted. Finally, he pulled away from her. What was she? Some sort of witch? Seeing the challenge flicker in her eyes, he gave in.

_"Maybe I'm brainless  
Maybe I'm wise  
But you've got me seeing  
Through different eyes  
Somehow I've fallen under your spell  
And somehow I'm feeling  
It's up that I fell."_

He pulled her closer, and her arms went around his neck, an acceptance to the little challenge. Not caring that they were disturbing anyone, they continued, the story they knew so well being played for a different audience- once who didn't know the story.

_"Ever'y moment as long as you're mine  
I'll wake up my body  
And make up for lost time"_

He kissed her hand, his soft tenor ringing in her ears.

_"Say there's no future  
For us as a pair"_

She caught the light in his eyes, and joined along.

_"And though I may know  
I don't care!"_

Her fingers tangled in his hair, and she pulled him closer, their eyes locking.

_"Just for this moment  
As long as you're mine  
Come be how you want to  
And see how bright we shine  
Borrow the moonlight  
Until it is through  
And know I'll be here  
Holding you __  
As long as you're mine!"_

He pulled her to him, pressing her against him, his lips crashing onto hers. She reveled in the taste of her husband for several moments, before pulling away, catching her breath. Without any thought to fact that he was repeating the line, he asked,

"What is it?"

She looked up at him, before pulling him close and gently, slowly, laying down on the forest floor. As she pulled him closer, she whispered,

"It's just....for the first time...I feel...." She bit her lip, before allowing her other hand to tangle in her husband's hair. He waited, patient. Finally, she said it, tracing his lips with her eyes, before meeting his blue eyes. Before his lips met hers, her soft whisper seemed to light the whole forest on fire.

_"....wicked."_


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this up, I had my first counseling session today, we didn't even get into my OCD...we will next meeting. **

**A/N: I've also been getting a lot of 'Happy Birthday!'s even though my birthday is TOMORROW! **

**Thanks to SoConfusified and lizziemagic for reviewing 57.**

As Ela and Jason were making love in the forest, Dee and the others were facing off against a walking creampuff back in the loft.

She was short, with blonde curls, blue eyes, and had a hideous blue concoction of a dress on. She stopped, looking at everyone.

"Oh hello. Who are you?"

The others looked at each other. It was several minutes, before Laney spoke up.

"You're the woman that kidnapped my mom and held her hostage."

Glinda turned to the teenager.

"You look like her." Laney started.

"Of course I do. She's _my mom!"_

Glinda didn't say anything. Instead, she looked around at them all.

"Well, this is quite a group you have here." She said. Laney eyed her.

"I know. My parents came looking for me, and they came looking for my parents." Laney said.

"Who are your parents, again?" Glinda asked. Laney swallowed.

"Um....E...El--"

"Elphaba?" Glinda cried. Laney shook her head.

"No. Eliana and Frederick Tipton. My mother's maiden name was Thorne. Why?"

"No reason." Glinda moved closer to Laney, and held out her hand. "I'm Glinda. Glinda the Good." Glancing quickly at her face, Laney took her hand, and shook.

_"And why not?"_

_"Mama!" Elphaba turned back, to see Laney reaching out for her._

_It was the baby Glinda had seen that night in the necklace. Only she was older, with long black hair, and moss green eyes, the same pearl skin as Elphaba. Sighing, Elphaba went to Stephanie, and took her daughter in her arms._

_"Who the hell is that?" Glinda asked. Elphaba looked at her._

_"Delaney."_

_"Delaney?"_

_"My daughter. My and Yero's daughter."_

_"Mama who is that?" Laney asked, pointing to Glinda. Gently, Elphaba kissed her three-year-old's hair._

_"No one, baby. No one important." She whispered, holding her daughter close._

_"'No one important.' Is that what you think? Is that what you tell your daughter?" Glinda cried._

_"She doesn't even know you! And with good reason! You're a nut! An absolute nut!" Elphaba screamed, pressing her cheek against Laney's temple and whispering softly too her._

_"Here, give her to me." Megan said, coming up to Elphaba. She'd caught the last few words, and knew that this was something Laney shouldn't see. Nodding, Elphaba handed Laney to Megan, who took the little girl to a grassy spot further away from the arguement. She passed Dee, grabbing the brunette's arm._

Laney winced, and pulled away.

"Laney, honey, what's wrong?" Dee asked, going to her niece. Laney ignored her, eyes only for Glinda.

_"You."_ She growled, wrenching her hand away from the blonde.

"Excuse me?"

_"You're the blonde bitch that tried to get my parents to come back with you!"_ She screamed. Glinda stumbled back.

"How the hell did you--"

"Ela and Jason? They're my parents." Laney stated. Glinda stared at her, before realizing.

"You...you're the little girl Elphie had in her arms that night!"

_"Delaney. __My daughter. My and Yero's daughter."_

_"Mama who is that?" Gently, Elphaba kissed her three-year-old's hair._

_"No one, baby. No one important." She whispered, holding her daughter close._

"Yeah."

"Lanes, how do you remember--" The teenager turned to her aunt.

"I don't remember much. Mama holding me and kissing me and a lot of arguing. That's about it." Laney told her. Then, she turned back to Glinda. "You made my parents' lives a living hell. No wonder Mama hated you." Glinda stared at her, shocked.

"She doesn't hate me. I'm her best friend." Glinda said. Laney scoffed.

"No you aren't. Auntie Dee is Mama's best friend. Not you. She doesn't even remember you."

"Yes she does. She remembered everything back in the palace. She knows exactly who she is. It's just a matter of time before she accepts it, and then she will realize what a mistake she made staying there, and come back to Oz, where she rightfully belongs." Glinda said, moving towards Laney, causing the teen to move back. It was then that Elphaba spoke up.

"Glinda?" The blonde's head snapped to the side, and she caught sight of her best friend.

"E...Elphie?" She whispered, slowly walking towards her. The witch didn't move. It was only when Glinda reached out to touch her, that Elphaba moved- in the form of fading and reappearing.

"What the hell was that?" Ari cried, rushing to Kevin, who held her close as she huddled behind him.

"That's what I'd like to know." Dee whispered. Elphaba sighed.

"You can't touch me, Glinda."

"Why not?" The blonde cried.

"Not until the pieces are back together."

"Wait a minute, what do you mean, 'not until the pieces are back together'?" Laney asked.

She sighed.

"It means...when your parents remember and accept who they are....who they were...only then, can another Ozian touch me."


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter 59.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: If splitpersonality Elphie dissapears, why doesn't split personality Yero dissappear?**

**Answer: Yero hasn't been touched by Ozians. Yes, Ela and Jason are _originally_ Ozians, but they've been in New York for so long, that they are no longer considered 'Ozians'. **

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 58.**

They lay, spent, in each others' arms. The forest had listened to their passion, their cries of escasty as they became one.

"Are you all right love?" He asked, meeting her eyes. She nodded. They lay for several moments, just enjoying the feel of each other nearby, before slowly, getting dressed. Once dressed, they sat and talked, Frederick told her about how he'd chased after her when the Scarecrow took her, and Ela told him about how she'd found Laney again.

"Wait, the Cowardly Lion as in the Cowardly Lion from _The Wizard of Oz_?" He asked. She nodded.

"Brr."

"What?"

"The Lion's name is Brr."

"Like Brr from _A Lion Among Men_?" Ela nodded. He shook his head.

"Okay." Slowly, he climbed to his feet, checking to make sure he had everything, before helping his wife. Once they had everything, they continued through the forest, keeping close, their hands clasped and fingers laced. They walked in silence, talking every so often, when they heard something behind them. Ela looked nervously behind her. "What is it?"

"N...nothing. I...just have the strange feeling that we're being watched." Jason looked behind her.

"I don't see anything."

"It's probably just my overactive imagination." She joked lightly, tugging on his hand. They continued on. Until something ahead caused them to stop.

* * *

"Wait, what do you mean by the 'pieces'?" Laney asked. Elphaba sighed.

"When....when your parents...left Oz, they....they left a part of themselves behind." She said quietly.

"Well what did they leave behind?"

"Us."

"Us? Who's us?"

"Fiyero and I."

"Who--"

"The Scarecrow!" Jason cried.

"Scarecrow?" Laney asked. So Jason told his sister all about the Scarecrow that had shown up and taken Mama away. Once he finished, Laney turned to Elphaba. "So, let me get this straight. You and this....kidnapping Scarecrow are the split personalities of my _parents?_" Laney cried. Elphaba nodded.

"Yes."

* * *

"What is that?" She asked.

"I'm not sure." He replied. It wasn't until the thing got closer, that they saw what it was.

The Scarecrow.

Ela let out a shriek and hid behind her husband, as they watched the Scarecrow advance.

"There you are!" He growled.

"Leave me alone!" Ela cried, burrowing into Jason's arms.

"Not until I get what I want." He snapped, moving closer. As he reached around to grab her, Jason grabbed ahold of the straw arm and yanked. Straw fell to the ground like snow, and the Scarecrow let out a cry. "What the--" He didn't get to finish, as Jason kicked his legs out from under him, sending straw flying everywhere. Soon, the Scarecrow lay in a heap of straw on the ground at their feet. "Put me back together, you bastard!"

Until then, Ela had covered her ears, but when she heard the Scarecrow throwing insults from the ground, her temper flared.

_"Leave my husband alone, you disgusting pile of horse feed!"_ Ela screamed. Suddenly, a burst of light appeared from the burning tree several feet away. _"Holy shit! What the hell is that?"_

Jason couldn't take his eyes away from the fire. "I don't know."

Quickly, she grabbed his hand.

_"Let's get out of here!"_ She cried.

They rushed, hand-in-hand, from the forest, not sure where they were going, just intent on getting out of there.


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Any ideas on how the tree burst into flames?**

**A/N: My 60TH CHAPTER!**

**A/N: SoConfusified, this chapter- and the surprise that's in it- is for you! **

**Question: why is split personality Elphie normal, but split personality Yero... EVIL?**

**Answer: who said Ela's split personality was normal? in control? yes. Normal? No. And as for Jason's split personality? Well....some MAJOR surprises are revealed in this chapter....not about Jason's split personality, that comes in later on.....and.... I seem to remember being asked about _re-greenification_....**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 59.**

They rushed out of the forest, mounted the broom, and hurried back to the corn exchange.

"Dee! DEE!" Everyone looked up, seeing Ela and Jason rush into the room and slam the door.

"Ela? I thought--"

"It doesn't matter. The Scarecrow found us. In the woods! He--"

"Are you all right?" Dee asked, going to her friend, oblivious to the others in the room. Ela nodded.

"Jason...took care of him." Ela said, out of breath. "But....that's besides the point...."

"What do you mean?"

"This... tree... burst into flames!" Dee's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Right."

"I'm not joking, Dee! It happened! Something must have struck it or.....or...."

"You're getting your magic back." Everyone turned, looking at Elphaba.

"What?"

"You heard me. You're getting your powers back." Ela shook her head.

"_Powers?_ I don't _have powers. I'm mortal!"_

"No you're not. You're one of us. An Ozian." Glinda said, coming forward. Ela let out a shriek, and hid behind her husband.

_"Leave me alone!"_ She cried. Glinda turned, looking at Elphaba.

"She's....a part of you?" Elphaba nodded. Slowly, the blonde went back to Ela. "Are you--"

"Wait a minute! Where's the Scarecrow now?" Sky asked.

"In a pile of straw in the forest." Jason said.

"Hold on, I'm confused. What does the Scarecrow have to do with Mama and Daddy?" Laney asked, looking at everyone.

"We told you, Laney. The Scarecrow is Daddy!" Jason said, matter-of-factly, rolling his eyes at his older sister.

"But the Scarecrow can't be Daddy!" Laney said, turning on her brother. "Daddy's loving and gentle and protective and caring and you said that the Scarecrow was insane!"

"But the Scarecrow is Daddy!" Jason snapped back.

"_No he's not!"_

_"Yes he is!"_

_"Then if the Scarecrow's Daddy, who's Mama married to?"_ Laney replied, pointing to her parents.

_"Daddy!"_

_"She can't be married to Daddy if Daddy's the Scarecrow!"_

_"Well she is married to him and he is the Scarecrow!"_

_"All right, that's enough!"_ Their father broke up the argument between his oldest and youngest. They looked up at him. "We need to figure out a way out of here, but we can't do that if we spend all our time arguing!"

"Sorry Daddy." They whispered. He sighed, and pulled his children into his arms, kissing their hair.

"The Scarecrow said his name was Fiyero." Jason said after a moment. Elphaba's head snapped up.

"Fiyero?" The little boy nodded. Slowly, the witch shook her head. "No. No. No. No. No. _NO_!" She grabbed her hair, hunching over. _"No. No. I can't even cast a simple spell right! What is wrong with me? Oh OZ! Whatever my faults, I don't deserve this! I don't! No!"_ She broke down, and slowly, Glinda went to her, reaching out to touch her, before remembering that she couldn't.

"Elphie, it'll be ....we'll find him and...and..."

"_OH NO. HELL NO._ There is _NO WAY_ we're going to go look for that deranged Scarecrow! I won't." Ela said, putting her foot down. Elphaba's head snapped up. Her eyes locked on Ela, and she rushed to the woman.

"What do you_ mean 'no'_? _We have too_!" Ela shook her head.

"Well, at least one of them is normal." Sky muttered, looking at everyone. Elphaba turned, her attention falling on Skyler.

"Who said anything about normal?" She asked, letting out a short, slightly insane laugh. "This is Oz! Nothing's normal!"

"Not to us! To you, yes!" Sky snapped. Elphaba laughed.

"Nothing's been normal since the Wizard took power! It's because of him Oz is so fucked up in the first place!" She snapped, a glint in her eyes. Then, she turned back to Ela, moving towards her._ "And you leaving didn't make it any easier! Do you know how long I've waited? I've waited nearly seventeen years to become whole again! Seventeen years! Do you know what it's like to wait that long? Things start to blur and meld and time races by and you can't control any of it!_ And you slowly _start to loose your grip on reality, and what hold you did have on your sanity slowly starts to slip away_!" She cackled, backing away from Ela and tangling her fingers in her long, wild, raven hair. She looked back at Ela, insanity burning in her eyes. _"I lived in hell for seventeen years while you were living your happy little life in the other world! I can't take it anymore! I can't take hiding in the shadows and blending into the woodwork- I've waited too long! I've waited seventeen years for my chance to regain my life, and_ _I'm not going to let it slip away_!" She grabbed ahold of Ela's wrist, bringing the girl closer to her, until their noses touched. "And there's only one way that I'm going to achieve that. _You're going to give it to me_!" She whispered madly.

Then, she pulled Ela towards the bedroll, shoved her down on it, and pulled out a small dagger.

"What are you doing?" Instantly, the others rushed to her.

_"Back off! Or I'll slit her throat!"_

"Let go!" Ela fought against her, as Elphaba straddled her, grabbing her wrist, and bringing the dagger to the skin. Quickly, she slit Ela's wrist, cutting a gash in her veins, before slitting her own wrist. Ela let out a cry as the blood began to rush down her arm, and then, Elphaba threw the dagger down, and got up, pulling Ela to her feet. She let go for a moment, and Ela rushed to the door, Elphaba hot on her heels. "NO!" The door slammed shut and locked, Elphaba shoved her up against the locked door.

"I told you--" Elphaba's voice was dangerously even, as she pushed her sleeve up, before grabbing Ela's arm and slidding her now blood soaked sleeve up her arm. "I'm going to regain my life--" Then, she laced her fingers through Ela's, and pressed her slit wrist against Ela's- a sick, twisted blood oath. "and _you're going to give it to me_."

"No. Let go!" Ela cried, attempting to pull away. Elphaba didn't release her. After several minutes, Elphaba pulled away, and gave Ela a good shove, causing the girl to land on her side on the floor. Then, she knelt next to the young woman, grabbed her hair, and yanked her up, until their faces were inches apart.

"Never judge a book by its cover." Then, she let go, getting up and going to the dagger. Slowly, Ela climbed to her feet, holding her wrist close.

"You witch!" Elphaba turned, a smirk on her face. Slowly, she ran her index finger up her arm, collecting the blood that was sliding down her arm. Then, she placed her finger between her lips, and licked the blood off her finger. The smirk grew.

"Look who's talking."

Ela took a deep breath, confusion written on her face.

"What?" Another deep breath. "What the hell does that mean?"

"You'll see."

Quickly, Jason when to his wife, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her wrist.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" He asked, brushing her hair off her forehead. She nodded slowly, the color was quickly draining from her beautiful face. She gasped for breath, and then cried out, doubling over. She pulled away from her husband, the jacket falling to the floor as she crumpled to her knees.

_"Mama!"_ Laney rushed to her mother, the others following. Ela ignored them. She grabbed her hair; fire seemed to coarse through her veins, every inch of skin hurt, her lungs and heart felt ready to burst. "Mama what's wrong?" Tears coursed down Laney's cheeks, and gently, Taye knelt next to his god daughter, helping her to her feet.

"Come here, Eydena. Sky, Kevin? Watch the kids?" His children nodded, as he returned to helping the young woman he considered a member of his family. Slowly, he knelt next to Ela, concern in his dark eyes.

"Make it....stop!" Ela cried, gasping for breath. She only looked up when Elphaba knelt in front of her.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" She asked, locking eyes with Ela.

_"What did you do?"_

"I did nothing. It's you. All you. The pieces are finally coming together. _Aren't they....Elphaba_!" Ela shook her head, breaking contact. _"Aren't they?"_ The other woman grabbed Ela's chin and yanked, forcing her to look into her eyes. The woman didn't say anything. Her jaw was clenched, and she was breathing heavy through her nose, trying to breathe. She tossed her head, her raven hair flying off her forehead.

"Wh....why are you fading?" Elphaba looked back at Aria, the thirteen-year-old watched horrified, tears sliding down her cheeks. A smile came over Elphaba's face.

"Wait and see, little one." She whispered, turning back to the girl's mother. "Won't be long now. I hope you enjoyed your fairytale, Ela, because it's_ all_ going to come to an end."

"What do you mean?" Ela gasped, her eyes closing quickly.

"You'll see, my sweet." Gently, she brushed several strands of hair out of Ela's eyes. "Oh Ela. You poor, confused little thing. Don't worry. Everything will become clear very...._very_ soon." She whispered. "Or....should I say green?" She giggled, an eerie sound in the silent room. Ela let out a whimper, feeling her skin start to change. "Now I know it hurts, but you're strong. You have to deal with it. Oh, before I forget..." She licked her bottom lip, before speaking. "you might...want to brush up on your storybook endings. Because....in every one _I've_ read.... the witch _never_ ends up with the prince." She let go, a smirk coming to her face as she saw the green sliding over Ela's pearl skin like gloves. "Looks like my work here is done." And with that, she faded, as Ela wrapped her arms around herself, crying out.

"Mama?" Aria's soft whisper, caused the air to snap and zing with tension. Taking a deep breath, Ela slowly raised her head. Slowly, Laney stepped closer to her mother. Swallowing her fear, she whispered,

"Mama?"

Ela's eyes met her daughter's, confusion over-flowing. Then, she closed her eyes, taking several more deep breaths, before looking down at her hands. What she saw, horrified her.

Green.

Her skin- _her lovely pearl skin_- was _green_.

As green as fresh cut grass. In an effort to get rid of it, she rubbed her hands together, attempting to wipe the green off, to no avail. It wouldn't come off.

"Mama?" Slowly, Ela looked up into her daughter's mossy green eyes. "Are you okay?" Ela backed up, pressing herself against the door, her heart in her throat. Finally, her eyes landed on her oldest. Silent, she pounced, grabbing her daughter's wrist and the broom, unlocking the door, and pulling her out of the loft.

"Mama!"

"Ela!" The others rushed after them, but by the time they got outside, Ela and Laney were gone.

* * *

"Mama? Where are we going?"

Ela didn't answer. They'd taken off on the broom, and now, raced through the forest.

_"Mama! Stop! You're scaring me!" _

She stopped, turning to the teen. Recognition sparked in her eyes briefly, before being replaced with confusion. Quickly, she shoved the girl up against a tree.

"Mama! Please!"

"I'm not your mother." Ela whispered, before pulling away. Then, she turned, and continued on, Laney racing to catch up.

_"Yes you are! You're my mother! You're my Mama! You know you are!"_ Laney cried, reaching out to grab her arm. She turned, and Laney stopped. Ela looked into the girl's eyes, seeing tears sliding down her cheeks. Then, she looked down, catching sight of the angel wing necklace around the girl's neck. Slowly, she reached out, holding it gently against her fingers. "You and Daddy gave me that for my birthday this year. You told me I could defy gravity. Like you." Ela met her eyes, before wrapping her hand around the necklace and yanking. The chain broke, and Laney cried out. "No!" She reached for the necklace, but Ela held it out of reach, examining it, before placing it in her pocket. Then, she twisted her wedding ring, and quickly removed it, fingering it for a moment, before tossing it among the leaves, like a ball of lint. Laney watched, horrified, before hurrying over and grabbing it, placing it in her pocket. She turned to continue on, when Laney threw her arms around her.

_"I want Mama back! I want my mother! Give me back Mama! I want my Mama! Please! Mama, please! Please come back! You're scaring me!" _Ela stopped, and looked down at the girl. _"I want everything back to the way it was! Back in New York! In Brooklyn! Remember Mama? Remember Brooklyn? And our apartment? And Broadway? And Central Park? And Auntie Dee and Uncle Taye? And the Tony Awards? And Aria, and Spencer, and Jason? Remember? Remember Daddy? And Wicked? Please Mama! Please!"_

Slowly, Ela patted the girl's head, before kneeling in front of her.

"Oh Laney. Pretty, pretty, little Laney. Don't you understand?" She asked, as the girl wiped her cheeks. "You're Mama's never coming back. I'm your mother now." Laney shook her head, backing away.

_"No. You... You're not my mother!"_ Then, she rushed at the woman, beating her, trying to cause some sort of damage. _"You're not my Mama! I want Mama! I want my Mama! I want my Mama back! Who sings me to sleep when I'm upset and lets me paint her nails and starts snowball fights and...." _She broke down, wrapping her arms around Ela's neck. _"Mama! I want my Mama! I want Mama! Please! Mama, please come back! Mama..."_ She buried her face in the soft cotton of Ela's blouse, her arms tight around Ela.

At first, Ela tried to resist, but soon, she wrapped her arms around the girl, her heart breaking.


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: WHY DID ELPHABA COME AND DO THAT!WHY CAN'T SHE LEAVE ELA ALONE!**

**Answer: the pieces were finally coming together, and Elphaba _is_ Ela...**

**Thanks to SoConfusified, webeta123, and lizziemagic for reviewing 60.**

The two continued through the forest, both of them eeriely quiet.

Laney fingered the wedding ring in her pocket, feeling the engraving on the inside.

_My rose and pearl._

Daddy had had it engraved for Mama, and then given it to her on their wedding day. She never took it of. It was important, a symbol of their love, their life together, their children. Finally, Laney spoke up.

"Daddy's probably worried sick."

The woman stopped, and looked over her shoulder at the girl.

"Daddy?" She asked, unfamiliar with the term. Laney nodded, sniffling.

"Yeah. Daddy. _Your husband_. My _father_. _Aria_ and _Jason_ and _Spencer's_ father. The man you married."

Laney watched her bite her lip, trying to remember. After a few moments, she shrugged lightly.

"I don't know them." Laney's eyes welled with fresh tears.

"Yes you do!" She cried, racing to catch up with the woman- the witch- that had lost her fucking mind and possessed her mother. _"You married Daddy! And Jason, Aria, and Spencer are your kids! My sister and brothers! How can you not know them! They're your children! I'm your daughter! Remember Mama?"_ She followed behind, yelling at her, begging her to remember. Finally, the green-skinned woman stopped, closed her eyes and mentally counted to ten, before turning around and glaring at her. This person scared her.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself to her full height, and continued. "Delaney. Remember me? You tell me every year on my birthday how I got my name. Every year..... it's tradition. Because I asked when I turned five why you named me that, and you and Daddy told me. So on my birthday every year, you tell me the story. Only... you didn't tell me this year. I don't know whether you forgot or... but you didn't tell me.... Mama? Mama look at me. Look at me! Don't you know me?"

She didn't say anything, just kept moving. Finally, Laney tried one last tactic.

_"Ela!"_

The woman stopped, and turned to the teen.

"It's not Ela. It's_ Elphaba_."

* * *

Frederick paced back and forth, a million questions running around in his head.

First and foremost: How to get his wife and daughter back.

"They can't have gone far, right?" Dee asked, as Taye gently rubbed her back.

"I don't know." Jason replied. "Damn it!" He slammed his fist on the counter, before leaning against it. "It's my fault. I never should have let go of her. I should have told Laney earlier, that way we wouldn't be in this mess now!"

Quickly, Dee went to Jason, and turned him so he looked into her eyes.

"It's not your fault. This probably would have happened even if you had told her." Then, she wrapped him in her arms. "We'll find her, Jason, I promise."

* * *

"Not it's not! It's Ela! Ela Tipton! My mother! And....and you're married to my father! Frederick! Remember?"

Elphaba ignored her, continuing on. Letting out a screech, Laney chased after her. Elphaba turned, opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when thunder interrupted.

"Shit. Come on." She grabbed Laney's hand, and dragged her further into the forest, before stopping at an abandoned, crumbling shack. Elphaba let go of Laney, and said a quick spell before going to the door and pushing it open. "Are you coming?"

Quickly, Laney rushed to catch up. Once she stepped inside, she saw that it was a fairly good-sized house, with a small kitchen, living room, bathroom, and two bedrooms. A fire crackled in the fireplace, and Laney turned, seeing Elphaba go to the stove and fix a pot of tea.

"What the..."

"It was a glamour spell. No body will go near it, because it looks like it'll fall at any moment. I've spent....the last seventeen years here. It's safer than being out there." Then, she set a cup on the table in front of Laney.

* * *

Two hours later, the two sat in front of the fire, silent. Fingering her mother's wedding ring, Laney finally decided to speak up.

"Mama's favorite novel is- as funny as this sounds- _The Turn of the Shrew_, by Henry James. I remember asking her once why she liked a ghost story, but she never gave a clear answer. The best I could get out of her was, 'It's dark, and it questions your views on life and death, good and evil.' I told her that you could get the same questions from reading _Wicked_, but... but she wouldn't hear of it. _Wicked_'s her second favorite novel, and _The Turn of the Shrew_ is the first. I.... I want everything back to the way it was... before."

She wiped tears off her cheeks.

"I want Mama back. I want to wake up in my room in our apartment in Sunset Park. I want to take the train from Brooklyn into Manhattan. I want to go to my dance classes at LaGuardia. I want to spend time with Auntie Dee.... I want.... I want my life back. Before I discovered the chest.... and the secrets.... when we were happy... when Mama and Daddy loved each other. I want it back to when Mama would sing me to sleep. I want everything back to before."

She broke down, and sighing, Elphaba went to the girl, and let her wrap her arms around her. Gently, Elphaba ran her hand through Laney's black hair. She knew what it was like, to want everything back to normal, to want to hit REWIND, and fix your mistakes. And she knew how much it hurt, when you couldn't. Once the girl had fallen asleep, Elphaba put her to bed in the extra room, and, out of some impulse, kissed her forehead. When she returned to the fire, she ran through everything she'd learned over the last seventeen years, before giving up and pulling out the Grimmerie.

It was as she was frantically flipping through the ancient spellbook, that she stopped, something catching her eye.

Quickly, her dark eyes scanned the page, and she gasped.


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter 62.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question:WHAT DID SHE FIND?!?!?!**

**Answer: You'll find out**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 61.**

"Daddy?"

The adults turned, seeing Spencer wiping tears off his cheeks. Sighing, he went to his son, and knelt in front of him, reaching out to take his hand.

"What is it, baby boy?"

"Is Laney okay?"

"I don't know."

"Jason-" Dee stopped, covering her mouth with her hands. "S...sorry Frederick. I... I know it's Ela's-" He looked back at her.

"It's okay, Dee. What is it?"

After a moment, the older woman spoke.

"Where do you think they went?" He thought a moment, looking back at his three remaining children and gathering them in his arms. He kissed their forehead's gently, before standing.

"I don't-" He stopped, his gaze falling on the sky outside, and the woods in the far distance. "Oh my god. I can't believe I didn't see it before!" He cried, turning to Dee. The older woman looked at her friend like he was nuts.

"What? Ja--" She stopped, reminding herself that that was Ela's nickname for her friend. "Frederick, I don't get it."

"The woods, Dee! The woods!" He said, scooping her up and spinning her around.

"Okay. I still don't understa-"

"They're in the woods, Dee!" He said, setting her down and taking her face in his hands. Then, he kissed her quickly, before turning back to the window. Dee didn't move, too startled by the last few minutes to move or speak. Finally, she turned, seeing him at the window.

"Wh....what do you mean... the woods?" Dee stammered.

"They're in the woods." He turned back to the others. "Ela and Laney are in the woods." After recieving only silence, he elaborated. "Where does the majority of _Wicked_ take place? _Son of a Witch? A Lion Among Men?" _

The others shrugged.

"Shiz, the Emerald City, and the Vinkus." Sky said after a moment.

Wrong answer.

"No. I mean...." He sighed. "Where does the majority of _The Wizard of Oz_ take place?" Big silence. No one spoke. Finally, Jason looked at everyone else, before glancing at his older brother and sister. Then, he turned to his father.

"The woods?" He asked. A grin broke out on his father's face.

"Yes! The woods! They're in the woods! The majority of The Wizard of Oz is about the journey down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City! Where does more than half that road cut through? The woods! All we have to do is follow the road, and we're sure to come across them!" He cried, turning to Dee. The older woman bit her lip, uncertain. "Dee, please. You have to trust me on this. I know Ela."

"But she's not Ela, she's--" She choked to a stop; she couldn't bring herself to say the- the witch's- name.

"I know." He went to her, taking her hands. "But you forget. I know Elphaba too. Exceptionally well. And... no matter how much I want to forget, I can't. Ela may have been able to, but not me. Dee... whenever Elphaba got upset, or if she was in hiding, she'd flee to the woods. Just like Ela. Where did she go whenever life got to stressful?" He held her gaze, and Dee bit her lip, thinking. After a moment, she looked back into his eyes.

"The park. Central Park." He nodded.

"We'd find her at the Ramble or in Sheep Meadow or Strawberry Fields or Harlem Meer, remember? Ela loves Central Park, she treats it like her second home. If we look in the woods, we'll find them."

After a moment of tense silence, Dee nodded.

"All right. Let's do this."

* * *

She glanced quickly back at the closed bedroom door, before returning to the page in front of her.

It couldn't be.

But it was.

She read through the spell again.

This, was the spell.

She threw a glance back at the door, a plan forming in her head. She needed to get the girl back home, safe.

Without her mother.

And this spell, would do just that.


	63. Chapter 63

**Chapter 63.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena **

**Thanks to AnnaBir, lizziemagic, and xSilence24x for reviewing 62.**

Laney awoke the next morning, the feeling of being trapped in a nightmare jarring her awake. Quickly, she sat up, expecting to see Mama and Daddy sitting on the edge of her bed, calming her down. But they weren't there. Neither of them. And this wasn't her room. Suddenly, it all came rushing back to her. Finding the chest, fleeing to Oz, finding Mama and Daddy again, that psycho witch taking over her mother....

Slowly, she climbed out of bed, and left the bedroom, going into the kitchen, where Elphaba was fixing breakfast.

"M... Morning."

Elphaba turned, and nodded silently.

Laney had to bite her lip to keep from crying. She hated this. She wanted things back to the way they were. When she'd come into the kitchen in the morning to find Mama and Daddy leaning against the counter, locked at the lips. Or when she'd find Daddy fixing breakfast, or Mama making tea. They always greeted her with hugs and kisses, good mornings and I love yous.

"Um..."

Elphaba turned back around, holding out a cup of tea. Slowly, the teen took it.

"Thank you." She whispered. Elphaba nodded. As the two settled down to breakfast, Laney found herself trying to make conversation. Instead, she just wound up talking- more for comfort than for anything else. "Um..."

"Yes?"

"Never mind."

After a moment, Laney changed her mind.

"We almost lost Mama. A few years ago. I was... twelve and.... Auntie Dee picked us up at school and took us to the hospital. Mama had... been walking across the street on her way to work, and some.... idiot driver ran a red light, didn't see her, and... hit her. They... took her to the hospital and... she slipped into a coma... and... we waited. She didn't wake uo for two months. And when... when she did... she didn't remember any of us. Nothing. She had... amnesia. And.... over... the next few months.... we tried to jar her memory.... I don't remember what brought her memory back, but it did. It scared all of us. I wanted her back then, and I want her back now."

Laney sniffled, quickly wiping the tears sliding down her cheeks. Elphaba didn't say anything, instead, she reached out and squeezed the girl's hand.

* * *

Dee soon found herself being dragged through the woods, looking for her best friend.

"Frederick, what are we supposed to be looking for?" Dee asked, hurrying to catch up to her friend.

"I'm not sure. We'll know when we find it."

"Well, at least we left that ridiculous creampuff behind." Ari muttered to her brothers. Spencer rolled his eyes.

They'd left the creampuff- known as Glinda- back at the loft, all claiming to need to stretch their legs. Glinda had said that was fine, she'd wait there for them. All three children knew a dumb blonde when they saw one- and Glinda was a dumb blonde- by their standards.

Ari latched onto Spencer as they went further into the woods, her nerves jumping and the hair on the back of her neck rising.

"Ari, you're hurting me. Let go!"

He wrenched away, and rushed to Dee and his father; finally, he latched onto his Aunt, as his twin sister tried to grab onto his arm.

"Auntie Dee! Make her stop!"

"It's scary in here, Spencer!"

"Well that doesn't mean you have to hurt me!"

"All right you two, enough!" Dee cried, grabbing Ari's arm and wrenching her away from her brother. Then, she took Ari's hand. _"I am not going to be used as a tug-of-war rope!" _

"Sorry Auntie Dee."

"That's-"

She stopped, eyes widening at the run down shack in front of her.

_"Frederick!"_


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter 64.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so late, I had it written, but I lost it, and then I found it.**

**A/N: _Twenty Froggies _is an old Michigan lullaby written by George Cooper. I got the idea for Ela singing it to Laney because my mom used to sing it to me, it was kind of a tradition, for the parents to sing it to the children in my family.**

**Thanks to AnnaBir and lizziemagic for reviewing 63.**

She wouldn't let this... this witch see her cry. She wouldn't.

If Mama were here, she'd let Laney burrow into her chest and sob her heart out.

But Mama wasn't here.

And Laney didn't know if she would ever come back.

After a while, she got up, going to the window and leaning against it. Closing her eyes, she let herself think back on everything before all this had happened. She let herself remember when they were living in the apartment in Westbeth- before Aria, and Spencer and Jason- back when it was just her, Mama and Daddy. Her memories of those times were few and far between, but they were there.

Helping Mama make cookies on Christmas, color eggs on Easter, helping her make cupcakes or brownies. Daddy dancing with her in his arms, as Auntie Dee's songs played on the stereo, while Mama sat curled up on the sofa, watching with delight and telling Daddy that it was good that he was practicing for her wedding. She remembered Mama painting her nails bubble gum pink, and singing to her. The most prominent thing she remembered from their time in Westbeth though, was the lullaby Mama used to sing to her. Besides Broadway showtunes, the song was a favorite of hers.

Even now, she found herself humming it as her eyes closed and the memory came back.

_"She doesn't want to sleep. She's too wired up." _

_Ela laughed softly, watching from the doorway as their daughter squirmed in her husband's arms. After a moment, she went to him, holding out her arms. _

_"Give her to me." _

_He did, willingly. Once the toddler was in her arms, she went to the rocking chair and settled down, as her daughter climbed all over. _

_"N-o. No. Laney, no. It's late. It's time for little girls to go to sleep." _

_"I not tired."_

_"I don't care. It's time for bed. Good little girls go to sleep when it's bedtime. Don't you want to be a good girl?"_

_She nodded. _

_"Good." _

_Then, Laney settled down, her head against her mother's breast. Slowly, Ela started to rock, before beginning the tune, her soft soprano wrapping gently around Laney in a comforting embrace._

_"Twenty froggies went to school_  
_Down beside a rushy pool_  
_Twenty little coats of green,_  
_Twenty vests all white and clean."_

_Laney looked over, seeing Daddy leaning against the closet, arms crossed over his chest, as he watched his wife and daughter. She watched him for several minutes, before turning back to Mama. She looked up into Mama's eyes, before reaching up to touch her lips. Gently, Mama took her small hand in hers, kissing her fingers before she continued._

_""We must be in time," said they,_  
_"First we study, then we play"_  
_That is how we keep the rule,_  
_When we froggies go to school.""_

_Every so often, Ela would glance at Daddy, share a secret smile with him, before turning her attention back to her daughter. She watched the small child, looked into the moss green eyes of a child that was hers- hers and her husband's. A child that had so much of her inside, that she saw it every moment of every day. _

_"Master Bull-frog, brave and stern,_  
_Called his classes in their turn,_  
_Taught them how to nobly strive,_  
_Also how to leap and dive."_

_Daddy, meanwhile, watched his wife with pride. He'd never been so happy to see the two people he loved most- his girls- together. Seeing his child in his wife's arms brought a sort of joy that he couldn't describe, a joy and a pride that filled him completely, that told him that he was a father, a true father. And then he realized, the joy was simple. _

_It was simple because they were his girls._

_And they always would be._

_"Taught them how to dodge a blow,_  
_From the sticks that bad boys throw._  
_Twenty froggies grew up fast_  
_Bull-frogs they became at last."_

_Ela smiled softly, as she watched her daughter's mossy green eyes begin to close as sleep took over. Eventually, the little girl drifted off to sleep competely, and Ela kept singing, her voice soft. The rocking of the chair continued, steady, strong, protective, as Ela cradled her child in her arms._

_"Polished in a high degree,_  
_As each froggie ought to be._  
_Now they sit on other logs,_  
_Teaching other little frogs."_

Laney's eyes opened, tears sliding down her cheeks as the memory faded into the mist, Mama's voice fading to a whisper. She took a deep breath, as fresh tears careened down her cheeks. After several moments, she choked out,

_"Mama..."_


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter 65.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miniera**

**Question: are you going to finish Paysages or Trust My Instincts?**

**Answer: Yes, I'm going to finish both. Life has just gotten in the way. The chapters are already written, it's just going to be a matter of uploading them.**

**Thanks to lizziemagic, Quill of Thoughts, leash111, The Beautifully Tragic Author and ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness for reviewing 64.**

"What is it, what's wrong?"

Dee turned back to her friend; all she could do was point to the old, rundown shack. Frederick bit his lip, sharing a worried glance with the older woman.

"It's just a shack." Both turned to look at Sky, who had her arms wrapped around Aria. Dee nodded, unsure of what to say.

"Well," Frederick turned to look at the others. "let's go investigate."

"Maybe we shouldn't, Frederick." Taye said, finally breaking his silence.

"Dad's right. It could fall at any moment." Sky said, casting a worried glance at the house. Aria clung tighter to Sky, fear in her eyes. She sniffled softly, burying her face in Sky's shirt. After a moment, Frederick turned back to the house.

"We need to at least check. Taye?" He locked eyes with the older man, who, after a moment's thought, sighed, and nodded.

"All right. Let's check it out."

* * *

Elphaba looked up, feeling eyes on her. She turned; Laney stood in the doorway, watching her. Tears slid down the girl's cheeks, but she didn't bother wiping them away. Neither said a word, but Laney's eyes flicked to the book in front of the green woman. After a moment, she whispered,

"What's that?"

Suddenly, Elphaba slammed it shut.

"Nothing." She stood, picking the heavy volume up. "Why don't you-"

She stopped, hearing something open.

Laney turned, listening as well.

It was silent.

And then they both heard the creak as the door opened.

Elphaba moved through the house, the book sitting on a small table in the other room, now forgotten. After glancing at the heavy volume apprehensively, Laney followed.

"How did you find this place?"

* * *

Frederick and Taye looked up, finding themselves face to face with Elphaba. The witch stood with her arms crossed tight, a glare on her otherwise pretty features. Neither man spoke until the other occupant joined them.

"Daddy?"

The tiny voice brought chills to his spine, and Frederick looked up, seeing his beloved daughter in the doorway. He gave her a small smile; the simple gesture was enough reassurance for the girl, and she moved past the Witch, eventually throwing herself into her father's arms.

Frederick held his daughter close, burying his face in her hair. The feel of his child's slender arms around his neck brought comfort and reassurance. When he finally pulled away and stared into her green eyes, he whispered,

"Are you okay, sweet pea?"

The girl nodded, tears sliding down her cheeks. "She scares me, Daddy. She's not Mama. She's not Mama."

"Shh. I know, baby girl. I know. It's okay. I'm here."

Laney shook her head.

"No it's not, Daddy. She's _not Mama_-"

"I know, sweet pea. I know she's not. But we'll get her back. I promise."

* * *

Taye and Frederick made it out of the shack with Laney, who was quickly engulfed in her siblings' embraces, followed quickly by her godmother and godsister. Through tears and sobs, she told them about the book she'd seen in the witch's room; the funny lettering and the witch's reaction. But before any could reply, the door to the shack slammed shut.

All turned, to see Elphaba making her way towards them.

Anger sparked in her dark eyes, and she shook with unhidden rage. Once she was close to Frederick, she reached out and struck him. He stumbled back, surprised, before quickly regaining control.

"How dare you! That child-"

"That child is mine! Mine and Eliana's! She doesn't belong to you! She never did! You had no right to take her! No matter your thinking!"

"You don't-"

But she stopped, staring at something over his shoulder. An array of emotions flashed across her face, and after several moments, everyone turned to see what she was looking at.

Someone was making their way towards them.

As he got closer, she asked,

"F... Fiyero?"

* * *

The scarecrow stared at the green-skinned woman, surprise in his eyes.

It wasn't her. It couldn't be-

But as he got closer, he realized that it... it _was_.

It was her.

His Elphaba.

* * *

She took off running, pushing past Frederick and the others. Once she got close, she threw her arms around the scarecrow's neck, holding tight to him, repeating his name over and over again.

When she finally pulled away and stared into his face, she shook her head, not wanting to believe it.

He was alive, but-

But he wasn't the Fiyero she remembered.

"Is it really you?" She asked in a choked whisper.

He nodded.

"Yes."

After a moment of staring into her eyes, he asked,

"Elphaba?"

* * *

She nodded, not hesitating to reply; not considering the people watching. She only had eyes for the scarecrow in her arms; off in the distance, she heard the oldest girl's protests.

"Yes, Yero. It's me."


End file.
